Jere Allen
Encyclopedia
Jere Allen is an internationally known artist
, currently Professor of Art at the University of Mississippi
(Ole Miss) in Oxford, MS.
His work can be described as figurative: strong colors, images, and symbols are often melded with portraits, providing a sense of an artist looking for answers and a reality that never fully materializes. His work is typically inspired by myth
s and symbol
s. These factors combined had him labeled in 1999 by a regional newspaper as "the Mississippi Rembrandt". Art and Antiques has described Allen as a "modern-day master" known for his "dramatic, electric colors."
Allen himself describes his work thus: "My paintings employ a reactive method in the search for an elusive notion that has perplexed me for many years. The (pictures) that stem from personal, social, political realities are often a foil to assist in the realization of feelings generated by that evasive notion."
His work can be found at the Huntsville Museum of Art
and Mobile Museum of Art
, both of which are in Alabama
. They can also be found at the Meridian Museum of Art
, Mississippi
, and Coos Art Museum
, in Coos Bay
, Oregon
.
In 2003, Allen's work, along with that of Robert Rauschenberg
, Roy Lichtenstein
, and Wolf Kahn
, toured Southeast Asia in the Washington-based Meridian International Center's exhibition, Outward Bound: American Art at the Brink of the Twenty-First Century, co-curated by fellow Mississippian Bill Dunlap.
Jere Allen has an artist son, Jeffery M. Allen, though their styles vary considerably.
bornmay81810
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, currently Professor of Art at the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
(Ole Miss) in Oxford, MS.
His work can be described as figurative: strong colors, images, and symbols are often melded with portraits, providing a sense of an artist looking for answers and a reality that never fully materializes. His work is typically inspired by myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
s and symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
s. These factors combined had him labeled in 1999 by a regional newspaper as "the Mississippi Rembrandt". Art and Antiques has described Allen as a "modern-day master" known for his "dramatic, electric colors."
Allen himself describes his work thus: "My paintings employ a reactive method in the search for an elusive notion that has perplexed me for many years. The (pictures) that stem from personal, social, political realities are often a foil to assist in the realization of feelings generated by that evasive notion."
His work can be found at the Huntsville Museum of Art
Huntsville Museum of Art
Huntsville Museum of Art is a museum located in Huntsville, Alabama. It was originally established by city Ordinance No. 70-134, on August 13, 1970, which established the Museum Board of the City of Huntsville. The museum held its first exhibition in 1973 and moved to its first permanent facility...
and Mobile Museum of Art
Mobile Museum of Art
The Mobile Museum of Art is an art museum located in Mobile, Alabama. It features extensive art collections from the Southern United States, the Americas, Europe, and non-western art...
, both of which are in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. They can also be found at the Meridian Museum of Art
Meridian Museum of Art
Meridian Museum of Art is an art museum located at 628 25th Avenue, Meridian, Mississippi. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and declared a Mississippi Landmark in 1985...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and Coos Art Museum
Coos Art Museum
Coos Art Museum is a museum in Coos Bay, operating on the southern coast of Oregon since 1950. Located in a historic former US Post Office, it offers tour exhibits, art classes, lectures, and community events. The museum holds 477 permanent collections and rotates its displays throughout the year,...
, in Coos Bay
Coos Bay
Coos Bay is an S-shaped inlet where the Coos River enters the Pacific Ocean, approximately 10 miles long and two miles wide, on the Pacific Ocean coast of southwestern Oregon in the United States. The estuary is situated south of the Salmon River. The city of Coos Bay, once named Marshfield, was...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
In 2003, Allen's work, along with that of Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is well-known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations...
, Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein
Roy Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist. During the 1960s his paintings were exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City and along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, James Rosenquist and others he became a leading figure in the new art movement...
, and Wolf Kahn
Wolf Kahn
Wolf Kahn is a German-born American painter.Kahn is known for his combination of realism and Color Field, and known to work in pastel and oil paint. He studied under Hans Hofmann, and also graduated from the University of Chicago...
, toured Southeast Asia in the Washington-based Meridian International Center's exhibition, Outward Bound: American Art at the Brink of the Twenty-First Century, co-curated by fellow Mississippian Bill Dunlap.
Jere Allen has an artist son, Jeffery M. Allen, though their styles vary considerably.
External links
bornmay81810