Ancient tales say that humans had the ability to understand Mother Earth, a skill that we have lost. Moon and Sun were a reminder of the original light; The moon and the sun were a reminder of the original light; males and females were the two sides of the same principal. There were no words for notions such as landscapes, ecology or environment, everything was innate innate. Unfortunately time has brought us to forget that once we had direct access to this knowledge. Positive images, such as moon and night, once symbols of the original womb and femininity, have become a refuge for our primitive fears.
Through her painting Jane Le Besque has been wandering in this ancient lore. Following the thin path left by the memory of folk tales. «Corn Girl», an earlier work, illustrates this approach well. It was told that at the time of harvest all the animals fled the fields, thus becoming the incarnation of the corn spirit. The picture is, then, a reference to Jane’s daughter as being part of her spirit.
In her new work, the artist found her inspiration in her childhood home-village in Sussex. Around this place she collected ancient wood branches and composed a symbolic pattern of them. The center branch is hazelnut, a symbol of fertility, and this is surrounded by ivy, a symbol of immortality and love.
In Jane’s vision:“The two grew together, twisting, turning and embracing. The branches are also two bodies, coupled together celebrating life.”
The symbolic branches are watercolour used in a very flowing and sensual way. The background is painted in very bright oil colours, a reminder of our modern times. The two materials do not mix and this opposition highlights the longevity of wood against fashion. But if you look attentively into the background, light shadows of the branches sometimes appear and with them, the importance of memory.
Visiting Jane Le Besque’s world is also an opportunity to meet artistic collaboration. On two paintings, we can find words by Joel Bastard, a French writer. The delicacy of the texts communicates well with the picture and gives a new dimension to the artist’s work.
I would like to thank Katia and Richard Jennings for their help
