Jan Heres Media

…Wildness, but also playfulness are some of the fundamental characteristics of Heres' work, the author's sensitivity and perception of atmosphere around him that pop up in the themes he portrays. Heres develops unpredictable relationships between elements in his paintings, creating fresh and often bizarre absurd worlds, the form of which seemingly alleviates the seriousness that is indisputably present in his paintings. The next creative stage is represented by works from the artist's stay in Valencia, Spain in 2018 and captures a kind of sweet impression of the beaches and recreational atmosphere. In the exhibited compositions, he points out the bizarreness of sunbathing, swimming and the sweet art of doing nothing on beaches full of people of various ethnicities, proportions and burnt skin with parts of tanned swimsuit lines on it. Humorous Valencia builds on spiritual Indonesia. Heres' images develop organically, they are not limited to an acquired program or style.

He often repaints the paintings several times. It captures inner experiences, lets the chosen theme unfold, lets itself be carried away by the environment in which it resides and in which the image is created. The very process of painting becomes a ritual and the painting is its culmination. However, the space of the painting canvas is not a border for Heres - it was Valencia that became his inspirational environment for modeling selected motifs into sculptures. He exhibits them together with paintings and thus creates a complete work of tangible dimensions. Even with paintings, dimensions are important for him - he likes to devote himself to large-format painting, but he does not leave behind canvases of smaller dimensions. Each theme demands its irreplaceable format, and the huge canvas is less difficult to transport into the jungle.

In addition to working with the medium of sculpture, Valencia also brought another milestone to Heres' work - he began to paint without a template, exclusively from his imagination. He started as an observer and matured into a creator. It was thinking about how to create a painting that led him to think about how a painting can evolve. He came up with a new technique, which is a specific form of drawing with a palette knife on a canvas, cutting. The edges are sharp, the tone -raw. They are more spontaneous, gestural, expressive. A similar reduction can be found in his sculpture that is also modeled, carved or cut. He starts with one shape and adds another. He takes his time to build and layer the image. In the next creative phase, he intervenes with a knife so that the image does not remain at the simple graphic level.

Thematically, it again touches on the relationship between a man and a woman and simple interactions between them, such as the act of brushing teeth together. He also adds an air-brush as an additional medium and the painting captures the moment of undressing. Intimacy replaces the erotic subtext, stylizing with air-brush transitions from geometric to organic. Oil and texture are added. Heres combines all the media he has employed so far.

He doesn't know how they will turn out, what they will look like - it all depends on the process of creation. The Artist Residency at THINK+Feel Contemporary in Miami presented another creative stage in his evolution. This (stage) permeated the portraits and the environment in which he spent several weeks. Different new stimuli, different culture. What Heres is immediately interested in becomes a new motif; he doesn’t spend too much time looking. We see a number of female couples, African American men and women, fascinating culture, hairstyles, clothing. He needs the image to bring up the dimension of something unexplored. The moment he starts to repeat himself, and this is bound to happen in the series (of paintings), he immediately begins to look for new ways, no delay, no waiting around…

Jan Heres in recent conversation with B. A. Kašparová, Prague, May 2022  

You studied at AVU with Professor Rittstein. Why did you choose this studio? First, I went to the Václav Hollar secondary art school, where we had art training. There I attended the academic painter Jana Truksová’s classes, and she at the time recommended Rittstein's studio to me, because – as she told me  she could see my feeling for color and expressive approach (to painting). I did not know Rittstein then. I only started discovering his work when I was eighteen.

How did Rittstein's work resonate with you? At that moment, I understood the students in his studio more (than his work). I only came to appreciate Rittstein himself over time. At first, his work was incomprehensible to me, because I painted more descriptively, I followed the work of impressionists and expressionists. I “got” Rittstein and his work gradually.

Rittstein's work has a very specific style and expression. If your work was mainly based on impressionism and expressionism, how did you view Rittstein's work? To me, it was expressionism, but mainly I perceived him as a person who was able to guide me, as a teacher. A teacher who understood my age, time and what I was doing and supported me in that. Thanks to that, I had the opportunity to create for the first two or three years of my studies, even though I still did not fully understand the context of the time. I wanted to paint and he knew I had a topic and supported me in that. I haven't rated him as an artist yet. In personal consultations, I knew that it was moving me.

As part of your studies at AVU, have you been to other studios? I studied  with Jiří Sopek for two more semesters after I returned from Indonesia. It was a good experience for which I am glad. At the time I saw his ongoing exhibition at Kampa Museum and I was surprised how close he was to me in the use of colors, etc. 

How did the preparations for your thesis go? 

I started working on it already in the final year of high school. The first painting was from a family environment, I painted my mother sitting at a bar and I thought that it made more sense than painting a still life and I started to develop a series. It was a personal statement, and I was also interested in the psychology of individual characters, how to  observe it, etc. At first, I painted this subject in the open air. I started out as a painter who looks and paints rather than a painter who paints from his imagination. That series numbered about thirty paintings. Some of them were over two meters in length, some were smaller. I painted everything on location in the open air. After finishing this series, I looked for other motifs, went out at night and painted there. I dragged a three-meter canvas into the middle of town, I painted under the Barrandov bridge. That was one of the 2013 Night Cities series.

I was interested in your documentary approach here, you are in a sense an observer of the scene. Basically, you could even take a photo of it. You are the one inside of each story,- recording it. You are not subjectively modifying reality yet. Were you previously influenced by any other medium, for example photography? 

Intuitively, I felt that this topic offered me space. I was interested in painting the figure, painting the interior, I had perspective, light and theme there. My attitude was - how far could I take the painting? I was interested in achieving precision in that technique.

It is a very mature painting for one’s first year (of academy studies), you got good feedback, or? 

Yes. Aries, (prof.) Sopko looked at it. I was never directly interested in hyperrealism, I always felt that I paint more spontaneously, quickly, emotionally.  

You said you paint en plein air. So this scene where the family dialogue is taking place in the room is real and not from a photograph? 

Yes, it's the room at my parents’ apartment, when I used to live with them. That's where I set up a giant canvas, and that's where I placed the models. My sister sat for me, so did my parents. I “arranged” them there in an archaic way.

How long did it take you to paint this scene where your father is gesticulating, your sister is standing by and your mother is listening intently? 

I had to paint faster, but some paintings were created in a few hours. For example, I painted this one very quickly. Those from the Night City series (2013) were actually created each during a single night. I went to the location and painted it overnight. It was a series of about ten paintings.

The paintings from the series Night Cities (2013) are very impressive, they are captivating and let the viewer imagine any night place without forcing him/her to locate it exactly. Rather than being descriptive, it was about the feeling and emotion of the place. Some of my earlier paintings contained even a Caravaggio-like chiaroscuro. In the third year (of my academy studies), I was still creating paintings of interiors, I was interested in the psychology of and between the characters, observation.

What did Indonesia bring, where you worked between 2014-2015? 

Indonesia  was a turning point for me. I stopped painting based on what I look at and see, based on observing people. I have models, but I paint from my head and make drawings. This is an important moment for me, because I became even more interested in the local culture. I lived on a street that sold various Javanese masks, etc.

How do you choose the titles of your paintings? 

In Indonesia I  deliberately named them in the local language, one is called Topeng, for example. Another Naga, Barong. I lived in that culture, so I wanted the title to feel authentic. I portrayed the mythological themes of the old religion that encompass karma or scenes from the afterlife. In this period, I started to enjoy the fact that the picture is put together in a different way than just like a photograph or like a view from a window, like a realistic view.

Yes, here you have combined past, present, and insight into the future in one picture... Formally, I also enjoyed that “game”, the fact that I can compose one picture in different ways and I am actually more free. During this period, gestural paintings were created, I portrayed Javanese masks, gods.

Indonesia has radically freed you, you have come to a completely different expression and style. Was it the country and its culture as such or the management of the studio? The studio had no impact on me. I went there once a week for consultations, which were conducted in a rather specific way - a painting was brought in and it was dryly analyzed. I was fascinated by the country itself. Just riding a scooter or walking around town was inspiring, it was incredible! I attended my studies, but I didn't feel that it was important to me. Perhaps, on the contrary, I was able to relax more without that authority.

What happened next? 

After returning from Indonesia, I did an internship at Jiří Sopek studio, and he gave me his feedback; [saying] that my work reminded him of Howard Hodgkin’s work, his gestural strokes; Hodgkin lived in India his whole life. This also had something to do with the choice of colors, for example. I made a lot of sketches in India, and after returning to the Czech Republic, I noticed the distinct tropical coloration. It is really the case that in India- there is not a different color palette, but a different light. And that will -without a doubt-  affect the resulting color palette of the painting.

So you didn’t choose the color palette artificially, did you paint what  you saw?

I painted what I perceived in the tropics. I went to the jungle, for example.

Did you paint directly in the jungle?

Yes. I originally thought that from Indonesia I would bring back paintings such as the Family and the Cities or the markets, but in the end I became interested in something completely different there. Rather, the local culture and my own imagination. I came back with no documentation but a different approach.

…Which is a very rewarding dimension for your next creative stage. Yes, I didn't plan it. Since then I have been to Indonesia once more for a month. The colors fascinated me and also the stylization they use for wayang puppets, which means shadow in Javanese. They are intended for shadow theater. This inspiration led me to working on another later exhibition, which was not strictly related to Indonesia, but I realized that it was similar in terms of its stylization.

Did you spend time in Indonesia alone or did you also get to know other artists there? 

[I lived] on my own. I painted by myself. Although I was in a local group with whom I would meet, I still mainly painted my subject (matters). I still have friends there, I still follow their work.

Is their work significantly different from the style you acquired there? Strangely enough, I don't understand why, but they all worked with a very earthy color palette. It wasn't entirely clear to me why as all colors are available to them. Maybe they don't have the need to highlight what they see everyday in their natural context. Alternatively, I came from a different light environment. For me, as a European, it was very interesting. They don't use bold colors at all.

Then I came back (from Indonesia) and the thesis followed. That's what I was still researching, I didn't know in what direction or where to go next. The ideal model of a student is a person who comes up with a topic of his own, then experiments in form, and after it should all come together, that's the ideal. But everyone comes to it  differently. I finished my diploma and started creating again. It's like starting from scratch. For me, the diploma was just a phase, it was not an end for me from where I would then continue to paint the same way.

Perhaps your artistic personality is  in constant development, reaction to stimuli and environment through the style and formal form of painting. I'm still evolving. In that thesis from 2017, I abstracted to the point that I’d be doing either black or white backgrounds. I needed to get an abstract moment into the painting. I used these two colors, again I kept the models that I found suitable and I stylized them more into some kind of expression, but I still worked with reality. I drew the topics from my relationship with my girlfriend, personal relationships. I completed my diploma and left for Valencia. A completely new series was created there, as a result of new inspiration.

What is most important to you in painting? 

Everything develops organically. Sometimes I repaint the paintings several times. Inner feelings. I often have an idea of the setting, the plot, then it develops more freely. The painting, its process, the ritual of that painting, is more important to me than the prepared (ready) idea. I give it free rein, I let myself be surprised. I am interested in painting itself. Each image, each painting can be something new. If I myself am surprised by the painting, then I feel that it is a good painting. 

What did the one-year stay in Valencia  where you were in 2018 teach you? I finished a large number of paintings there again. I painted initially on paper, then on canvas. I started doing sculptures there. I created sculptures that initially corresponded with the painting. They were very colorful, capturing the mood of Valencia. I was fascinated by the beach environment. People go there for a week to relax. The atmosphere of the environment, of the place. Something very absurd. Figures lying in various positions, with their feet in the water, one could see absurd compositions. A certain kind of humor that crystallized from the nature of the place, a specific sweetness in the colors, which I perceive to be connected to Valencia. The environment always has an effect on me and then everything happens by itself.

Sensitivity to the perception of atmospheres, colors, which for a painter is exactly what he can then develop in his work. It was somehow fresh for me, compared to the “dark diploma'' [work], I had a sense of playfulness and cheerfulness.

In your case, your paintings will depend on the location of their creation i.e.  where they will be painted.  

Yes.

I'm interested in how you think about the connection between sculptures, their installation, and  paintings? 

They are “units” [across media i.e. painting-installation-sculpture], but I also made a series of plaster sculptures, which were then exhibited separately. I enjoy connecting painting with sculpture, it's somehow a new medium for me. I enjoy working with sculpture and I would like to continue in this direction in the future, although now I paint more.

So the objects expand the subject of the image. Is shape also important? 

In Valencia, there was a palm tree alley that I kept walking past and I thought to myself that it was an absurd motif, but somehow it was fascinating and I enjoyed it - it's simple, not serious. I have the feeling that in the Czech Republic we always tend towards serious ideas, and I actually thought to myself, why not make a cheerful palm tree.

Your work from Valencia is really lighthearted, even humorous, compared to the more serious and spiritual level of your work from Indonesia. The environment strongly influences you not only stylistically, but also thematically. 

I give it free rein, I don't want to stop it. Then I came back and I also created plaster sculptures and paintings, in which I started working with my own stylization of depicted figures. I also made models, but I enjoy direct modeling with sculpture. That was followed by the cycle Murder of Love (2019), where I started painting with oil. There was the stylization that I had already worked with in Valencia, and the humor is still present. It's thematically light. Compositionally, it was about units (painting-installation-sculpture) where a lot of events take place, somewhat in Brueghel’s manner. Again, the motif of a relationship was present, two people in different constellations. Since my stay in Valencia, I have completely stopped using a model or a photograph and started to paint entirely from imagination.

You reacted as if it was wrong to use a photo as a template. 

Now in retrospect it seems that way to me. At this moment, the photo is a foreign element to me, which I do not want to have in the picture. It bound me too much to what I can paint, not create. It's a completely different approach. I started by observing and now I create. It was thinking about how to create that led me to thinking about how to move painting further. If I want to create a specific approach to a painting, I have to change the way I paint. I stopped painting in the normal way with a brush, experimented a lot in 2020-2021 and developed a technique where I draw on the canvas with a knife. I have a sharp knife or a cutter, I glue  the entire canvas with cardboard pieces that are waterproof and a layer is formed, then I draw and carve with the cutter and another series was created with this technique.

At first glance, the carving technique is a different expression than the one you used in your previous serieses. I enjoy carving ‘coz the edges are sharp. It sounds raw. It’s vicious.  It is in some ways spontaneous – I can make decisions very quickly with the blade;  it's also gestural, but it is not just about  movement. It’s also about reduction. I also enjoy the parallel with sculpture, which is also modeled, sculpted or cut. I start with one shape and add another shape. I have time to build and layer the image.

It can be said that it is a sculptural approach, but applied to a 2D form. 

Yes. I try to intervene in the image in the next phase with a spatula, so that the image does not get “stuck” at the graphic level only. At the beginning of the pandemic, I focused on the subject of relationships again. The paintings show a man, a woman and some interactions between them, such as brushing teeth. This painting is darker, it deals with self-harm. But I approach the topic freely.  Here is a moment of undressing, an erotic subtext. In this series I used clean surfaces and then I started using air-brush.

What does your latest ouvre look like? 

As for styling with airbrush, I went from geometric to more organic form. I now enjoy a clean surface, together with airbrush, oil and sometimes even with texture. Linking all the approaches I've done so far. I don't know what the final image will look like. I have an idea, I have a sketch. But the result depends on the painting process. But everything is created by reacting to individual shapes and it is created in the process of painting. The new paintings that are being created now were created on location in Miami during the artist residency [program] where I was for a month. There I took a little break from the airbrush and started a new portrait series.

What inspired you in Miami? 

Definitely the neighborhood I lived in. It is inhabited by many African Americans. As soon as I arrived, I started painting. Everything around me inspired me, another culture. The motif is what catches my eye the first time, I don't look for it for a long time. Miami is the mecca of consumption and luxury, as a topic it is very interesting to me. There are Porsches everywhere and you can see that money comes first in Miami.

What subjects will we see in the new series? 

Among other things, I took the characteristic physiognomic features of African Americans that I met on a daily basis as a topic. I will also connect them with other motifs.

Wouldn't you be attracted to a direct collaboration with an African-American who would be a good model for you? 

I would have been tempted, but I didn't have enough time. I did a lot of sketching when I went for coffee. From those authentic places, I recorded the shapes of faces, types of hairstyles. I met many female couples. The paintings reflect female figures, intimacy. A new series of paintings will be tied to these themes. Gender is also reflected in it. It depicts humans in their present form. I'm still waiting to see what Miami has in store for me.

What is the central theme of your work? 

I am interested in a person, his relation to the environment, his connection with other people, and emotional experience. Man is the main subject of my work.

What formats are the most common for you? I enjoy working with multiple formats that complement each other on one wall. Some are small formats, 120x100 cm. Other paintings were larger, around 300x240 cm. The typical format I have now is 130x140 cm, but I also like to make larger formats. I have more ideas for you now. Some themes need large formats. As Professor Rittstein says, and it seems wise to me - you cannot replace a small format with a large one, and you cannot replace a large format with a small one.

When you say picture, what is it to you? 

I enjoy it when it brings a dimension to something unexplored. The moment I repeat myself, and this happens regularly in the series, I start looking for new ways again.

How often are you in the studio? 

Always.

Jan Heres (* 1992) was born in St. Gallen, Switzerland.  He is a graduate of the Prague Art Academy where he studied painting under Michael Rittstein and Jiri Sopek and at the Indonesian Art Institute in Jakarta. He lives and works in Prague, Czech Republic.