James Earley
Jim And The Pause
2020
Oil on canvas
100 × 76 cm
Unique
Location: Paris, France
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About the artwork
This portrait of a shirtless, tattooed man, pen and notebook in hand is of Jim Bristol, a homeless man the artist met in 2018. The turquoise-blue serpentine line cutting through the canvas's red background represents the winding road of this destitute traveler. "Jim and The Pause" evokes the moment when Jim stops and thinks about his future. For the artist, the background is important, and the bright colors echo those used by Andy Warhol for his celebrity portraits. Blue, the color of hope, highlights Jim's optimistic personality, having come a long way. The red, meanwhile, is a reminder of the artist's own blue eye colors. James Early plays with the viewer by incorporating irony into his work, responding to gallery requests for decorative paintings that are totally at odds with the artist's vision.
Expert opinion
The quality of this canvas, both in terms of execution technique and subject matter, is representative of James Early's work. Echoing his own encounters, Jim is a subject he has painted on several occasions, and this exceptional work is part of the Homeless series.
About the artist
Born in 1972, James Early is a self-taught English painter based in the UK. It wasn't until 2015 that he traded in his business career to become a full-time artist, a career he was "always made for" deep down. According to Contemporary Art Curator Magazine, he is one of the most important figurative and hyperrealist painters internationally. Through his art, he paints those on the margins of society, the homeless or victims of war. He wants to raise awareness of the world around him, to "cry out" through painting. In 2019, James Early won first prize at the London Biennale and the prestigious Michelangelo Prize. The following year, he was chosen by the European Center for Culture to exhibit at the Venice Biennale. In 2022, he exhibited at the Musée du Louvre (Paris) and was included in a Bonhams London sale.
“"I was often struck by the way Andy Warhol used bright squares of color as backgrounds for his portraits of the rich and famous, and I wanted my portrait of Jim to show how we're all rich and famous and that we all deserve bright colors."”
Additional info
Signed
Framed
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