Fantasy Expressionism and the Art of Jeffrey Catherine Jones

Jeffrey Catherine Jones is arguably the most enigmatic fantasy artist of the twentieth century. Born into a strict military family, Jones would spend most of her life defining just who she was as both a person and a painter. Though it would be easy to focus exclusively on the gendered aspects of her work, Jones established a rich and original fantasy oeuvre challenged perhaps only by Frank Frazetta, who famously called Jones his greatest living contemporary.

Like Frazetta, Jones spanned the gap between pulp and high fantasy, first working on comics, illustrations and cartoons before moving onto more abstract personal works later on in her career. Jones' work might best be characterized as late-expressionism, though it maintains a consistent commitment to figure and form. Tonally, Jones reveled in earth tones, employing rich oranges, yellows, purples and creams. Again, much like Frazetta, Jones obsessively painted the female figure. Though unlike Frazetta, Jones' work presents a gentler vision of gender and sexuality. Her nudes stand out as some of the most arresting of the twentieth century.

Here are a few of the best paintings by Jeffrey Catherine Jones.