Jesse Tomballe b. 1986

Jesse Tomballe (°1986, Antwerp, Belgium) creates an imaginary world in which characters are portrayed in different situations. The figure and its surroundings gradually emerge while painting, with stylistic considerations taking precedence over the theme. A certain subject or character for a painting can have multiple origins wether based on impressions out of imagination, observation, art history or from memory. In some cases figures are made up, at other times they are assembled from different sources, ranging from found imagery, to people nearby acting as models.

Depending on the subject matter, he works on different formats and aims for a naturalistic representation. His main interest when painting figures or portraits is not confined to the representation of certain individuals but lies rather in their use in an allegorical sense. In this way the artist wants to bridge the gap between reality and imagination.