简明James Jean丨东西融合 The Integration of Eastern and Western
GOAT IV, Acrylic on Wood Panel, 48 x 36”, 2021.
山羊(4)，丙烯酸木面板，48 x 36, 2021。
“Though I grew up in the U.S., I’ve never truly felt at home there, and since my ability to read and speak Chinese is non-existent, I’ll never truly feel at home in Asia either. Perhaps it’s this sense of isolation that has driven me into making art in the first place.”
“虽然我在美国长大，但在那里我从来没有真正的家的感觉，而且由于我不具备阅读和说中文的能力，我在亚洲也从来没有真正的家的感觉。也许正是这种与世隔绝的感觉，使我首先从事艺术创作。”
- James Jean, in an interview with Neo Cha, 2015
- 在2015年NeoCha的一次采访中简明如是说。
James Jean was born in Taiwan in 1979 but moved to New Jersey with his parents when he was a child. He is a Taiwanese-American artist who now lives in Los Angeles. Because of his unique and turbulent early experiences, James neither spoke Chinese nor had a sense of identity with American culture, which made his childhood very lonely. He sometimes joked that he was an alien and used the word "trauma" to describe his childhood. Although accompanied by pain, this unique childhood experience of wandering between Eastern and Western cultures not only became the motivation for James Jean's creation but also laid the foundation for his painting style that is the integration of East and West.
简明1979年出生在台湾，但是他从小就随父母移居到了美国新泽西，是一名台裔美国艺术家，现在生活于洛杉矶。由于独特和波折早期经历，简明既不会说中文，对美国文化的认同感也并不强烈，以至于他的童年非常孤独，有时候开玩笑说自己是外星人，并用“创伤”一词来形容自己的童年时光。虽然伴随伤痛，但这种游走于东西方文化之间的独特童年经历，既成为了简明的创作动机，同时也奠定了他东西融合的绘画风格。
I knew James Jean from the time he made the cover posters for several of Hollywood's famous films such as Blade Runner 2049, Mother!, and The Shape of Water. But before that, he was a very successful and diverse commercial painter and artist.
我知道简明，是从他为《银翼杀手2049》《母亲》和《水形物语》几部知名东好莱坞电影制作封面海报开始。但是在此之前，他已经是非常成功且多元的商业画家和艺术家。
After graduating from college, he soon became a cover artist for DC's Batman, Batman Woman, Arrow, and other books. He is also known for his Fables series. At the same time, ESPN, Prada, Apple, Time, Playboy, and other companies have cooperated with him. Murakami also invited Jean to stay in his Japanese gallery Kaikai Kiki, expressing his love for him and personally holding Jean’s solo exhibition in Tokyo.
在简明大学毕业之后，他很快就成为了DC公司各种书籍的封面画家，作品包括大名鼎鼎的蝙蝠侠、女蝙蝠侠、绿箭侠等，代表作Fables系列也颇有名气。同时，ESPN 、Prada、Apple、时代、花花公子等公司都与他有过合作，村上隆也邀请简明入住自己在日本画廊Kaikai Kiki，表达了对他的强烈喜爱并亲自操持他在东京的个展。
PORTAL RECTO, Stained & Fused Glass, 35 7/16” x 56 5/8”, 2018.
PORTAL RECTO，染色和熔融玻璃，35 7/16 x 56 5/8, 2018。
GAIA, Fused Glass, Lead, Steel, and Incandescent Bulb, 52 x 52 x 93”, 2019.
盖亚，熔融玻璃，铅，钢，白炽灯，52 x 52 x 93, 2019。
SCHRÖDINGER'S KITTEN RESCUE, Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. April 2018.
救援薛定谔的猫, Sawtelle Blvd, 2018年4月, 加利福尼亚州洛杉矶。
James Jean has also won seven Eisner Awards, including Best Cover Artist, Best Short Story, and three Best Cover Artist of Harvey awards, and Bronze Lion Award of Cannes Lions Festival. Among them, the Eisner Award is regarded as the Oscars of the American comic book industry, which is an iconic award of the American comic book culture. It is his unique style of painting that has won him various awards.
同样，简明作品获得的荣誉奖项更是不胜枚举，Eisner奖七次，包括最佳封面艺术家、最佳Short Story等七个，另外还有三个Cover Artist of Harvey奖项和戛纳铜狮奖等。其中Eisner奖是作为美国漫画文化标志性的奖项，被认为是美国漫画届的奥斯卡。使简明获得种种奖项的，是他独特的绘画风格.
JELLY II, Acrylic on Canvas, 36 x 48”, 2021.
果冻II，画布上的丙烯酸，36 x 48, 2021。
BATHERS, Acrylic on Three Canvases, 360 x 120”, 2019.
沐浴者，三幅画布上的丙烯，360 x 120, 2019。
AVIARY, Acrylic on Three Canvases, 246 x 120”, 2019.
鸟舍，三幅油画上的丙烯，246 x 120, 2019。
ADRIFT III，Acrylic on Three Canvases, 198 x 98”, 2020.
漂流III，三幅油画上的丙烯，198 x 98, 2020。
James Jean's art style was influenced by Chinese scroll paintings and Japanese prints, with smooth and delicate strokes reminiscent of thang-ga, Dunhuang frescoes, and Japanese ukiyo-e. Both Thang-ga and Dunhuang frescoes are Chinese religious paintings with elegant lines but powerful, and both of them have strong religious characteristics. James Jean's works also give people a strong sense of sacredness. Ukiyo-e is a Japanese genre of painting or print painting, which is divided into beauty painting, landscape painting, flowers, and birds painting, and so on. These are also the subjects that James Jean likes to paint. It can be said that in terms of technique and content, James Jean's works are full of Asian cultural influence, and many of his works revolve around tragic heroism and romanticism.
James Jean的艺术风格受中国卷轴画和日本版画的影响很大，其笔触线条流畅细腻，令人联想到唐卡、敦煌壁画以及日本的浮世绘。唐卡和敦煌壁画都是中国的宗教画，线条飘逸但是富有力量，且两者都具有浓郁的宗教特色，James Jean的作品也给人强烈的神圣感。浮世绘也就是日本的风俗画或版画，内容分为美人绘、风景绘、花鸟绘等，这些也是James Jean喜欢的绘画题材。可以说，无论是技法上还是内容上，James Jean的作品中都充斥着属于亚洲文化的影响，许多作品里都带有一种悲剧的英雄主义和浪漫主义色彩。
画布上的丙烯酸，48x60, 2020。
ATHENA, Acrylic on Canvas, 60 x 48”, 2020. 雅典娜，画布上的丙烯酸，60 x 48, 2020。
LORY,Acrylic on Linen, 16 x 20”, 2019. LORY，
亚麻布上的丙烯酸，16 x 20, 2019。
In addition to the influence of Oriental culture, the works of James Jean also have the influence of Italian Renaissance portraits and American culture. The bright and cheerful pictures of some of his works can also be seen in the shadow of his years as a cartoonist.
除了受到东方文化的影响，简明的作品里也有意大利文艺复兴肖像和美国文化的影响在其中，部分作品明亮欢快的画面也可以看到他多年从事商业漫画的影子。
MONARCH, acrylic on Linen, 48 x 60”, 2019. LORY，
亚麻布上的丙烯酸，48 x 60, 2019。
HARMONY, Acrylic on Canvas, 80 x 60”, 2021.
和谐，画布上的丙烯酸，80 x 60, 2021
It can be said that James Jean's works, like his early experiences, are a kind of complex of contradictions. With the overlapping images and metaphors, and the fierce collision between classical and modern, James Jean leads the audience into a surreal world created by him. For James Jean, painting is the best way to express his true feelings, even after many years, these works of art can still deep connect him, the people, and the world.
可以说简明的作品同他的早年经历一样，是一种矛盾的综合体，层层叠进的意象与隐喻、古典与现代的激烈碰撞，简明将观众领入了一个他所创造的超现实世界。在简明看来，绘画是他内心真实想法的最好方式，哪怕是在很多年以后，这些艺术作品仍然可以将他、观众、世界深深联结。
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