Jethro Jackson, The Red Faced Mask
Jethro Jackson, The Red Faced Mask, 2022
20 x 30 cm
Oil on board
Watching the invasion of Ukraine is all the more difficult to bear after the pandemic. It feels as if the world should be more united than ever, yet we’re seeing how the decisions of one man can cause more pain and suffering.
During the very darkest points in human history, the idea of art becomes increasingly abstract. Artists can find themselves asking, ‘what’s the point’? But even during the two world wars, when it felt as though life was at an end, art was still made. The desire to create is deep within us. Since our ancestors painted onto walls in their caves, life has been documented through images.
These last few months I have felt a real need to connect to troubling world events by painting them with automatism - creating art without conscious thought. Working in this way forces me to tackle my feelings about the atrocities of war, and explore what art is - if not purely for the aesthetic. I know that Red Faced Mask is not an easy painting. The primary colours and staring gaze asks uncomfortable questions of us all. But there is also beauty in the chaos.
With this painting, i’m eternally hopeful that even in the darkest times, good will conquer evil.
Jethro Jackson, 2022