Charles Jean-Pierre

ALL THE KINGS MEN: KNIGHT- 10 X 8

“All the Kings Men- Knight” (Series) 4 of 6 Multi Media "All The Kings Men" series is an abstract representation of a modern chessboard; the knight represents the modern day police officer ” says Charles Jean Pierre. “Singer-Songwriter Bob Dylan created a song called "Only a Pawn in their Game" that served as one inspiration to the piece. I created the six paintings to represent the King, Queen, Knight, Rook, Bishop, and Pawn as modern figures. “ The technique utilized is addition and subtraction.

CORNER STONE- OIL AND ACRYLIC- 20 X 16

Charles Jean Pierre creates a profound dimension to concepts of human relativity. While speaking about the work he mentioned, “Just as in a chessboard, all individuals have a role to play in this game”.  As the lines of the tic-tac-toe board are highlighted, the division of absolute and uncertainty reveals itself through the uneven shapes of the maroon lines on the tic-tac-toe board. Jean Pierre challenges the color binary of black and white against society’s gender binary- “I transcend the typical binary by giving the black piece focus as the power, and the white pieces follow as supporting roles”. The gold and maroon background provides a space to observe the intensity of color and size of the game pieces.

EMINENT DOMAIN- MIXED MEDIA- 16 X 20

“Eminent Domain” strives to represent a nuanced politicized explanation of urban movement also known as gentrification. Focusing on the movement of bodies in Washington D.C., the United States Capital, the artist recodifies the history of legal forced removal of persons within a particular space. The construction of the work calls for  “maximizing potential of underused area”, critiquing a similar rhetoric that justified the legal extraction of individuals from their homes. The color gradient of blue to yellow amplifies the three images meant to personify the historical relationship between various groups of people existing in the United States.

ESPIRITU- ACRYLIC- 12 X 9

This composition demonstrates the process of addition and subtraction. The red, gold and green serve as a backdrop of intensity to support the creature flying in between letters, numbers, and other images. “The bold black lines are meant to "accentuate" the broad shape of the Winged man. It also complements the subtle bold gold lines in the background. The color scheme explores the "similarities" within the cultural contexts of mythological creatures within African and Hispanic pantheon.” As Charles Jean Pierre states, “, I thought about travel prior to 1900’s- and realized birds and mythical creatures were seen as the only entities that could fly.

GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE/ BOUKMAN-  ACRYLIC/ DIGITAL MEDIA - 36 X 24

“George of the Jungle is one of three contemporary paintings I created after assisting in relief efforts to artists in Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. Boukman was said to be one of the leaders of the Haitian revolution. I juxtaposed that with the image of Basquiat who is also a leader in his own right. The snakeskin, elephant, and zebra print refers to voodoo and the exotic nature of the world’s view of Haiti and black culture, overall. The snakeskin print derived from the classic Air Jordan shoes, which are a large part of youth culture, hip-hop culture, and now Haitian culture.“  - Charles Jean Pierre

AMOUR A SOWETO- MIXED MEDIA- 12 X 12

Amour a Soweto is a collage series that represents the dynamic relationship between woman, love and power. As Charles Jean Pierre states, 'The woman is in the power position. The man is in the supportive role'. I attempt to create balance through imbalance'. The sequence of construction used within the piece relays his style of intricate layering. '(The) Patterns with flowers (yellow/violet)(blue/green) represent exoticness, and an urban feel.' These sentiments carry through the color value as the background extends itself to support the woman as centerpiece. The headdress represents a crown that serves as a stark contrast to stereotypical representations of Black Women globally.

OFF THE HOOK- ACRYLIC- 15 X 30

This minimalist composition maintains to depend on the color scheme to tell a story The black to dark blue telephone and red to orange gradient background extrapolate a fiber of urgency that flies off the canvas. As Charles Jean Pierre describes, “ (This) is a collage, representative of classic urgency and reminiscent of the Cold War.  In this new society, where citizens are bound by the color-coded “Terror Alert System”, this piece demonstrates the awareness of us constantly being on “high alert.”

ON THE CORNER- MIXED MEDIA- 16 X 12

This neo-expressionist work explores the effects of federal state programs for marginalized communities in the United States. The artist uses tertiary colors to emphasis the figure of the three men, each trapped within a bold shape of handcuffs. The artist executed the work by working on different spots of the canvas and then gradually blended the pieces together. Jean Pierre reflected upon the use of “FL” by stating “FL represents the federal mandate of “free lunch” and also Florida, especially the systematic sociological theory of school to prison pipeline, which serves as one explanation for the high rates of Black male incarceration in the United States.

THERE ARE NO CHILDREN HERE- MIXED MEDIA- 22 X 28

"There are No Children Here is a 1991 biography by Alex Kotlowitz that describes the experiences of two brothers growing up in Chicago's Henry Horner Homes. It is a story of two boys growing up in the other America. It is a world where you see more funerals than 'weddings'. That text inspired this painting. It is a graveyard in Chicago in the cold of winter. Chicago is a cold city weather wise and in regards to relationshps." Charles Jean Pierre
This multimedia piece uses spray paint, oil pastel, and metallic paint. The texture was extrapolated through the use of pumice stones.

LIBERTE EGALITE

This work originated as pattern paper bought by Charles Jean Pierre in Istanbul and Paris. As a collage, Pierre hand painted the detail in the final version, and then elaborated its greyscale by utilizing negative/positive image. In this piece, addition and subtraction technique plays a role in enhancing the main central figure. As Jean Pierre states, “ this is Toussaint Louverture on a Pegasus. It represents a mixture of the Haitian and Greek pantheon. These words “Tout Est Possible” means all is possible. That quote references the Haitian revolution in 1804. An independent nation of Africans was considered not possible at in the age of imperialism.”