"Reflections on Adoration of a Magi"- Oil on Canvas, 48" X48"

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Artist Statement — Ron Jesiołowski
“Truth wrapped in symbolism becomes harder to ignore.”

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My work is a meditation on the uneasy intersection of power, memory, and emotion. Using the language of allegory and surrealism, I create visual narratives that invite the viewer to linger, question, and reconsider the systems and assumptions they take for granted. Influenced by the psychological puzzles of M.C. Escher, the existential distortions of Dalí, and the raw truth-telling of underground comics, my images often feel like dreams left half-remembered — both familiar and unsettling.

Recurring motifs — ships on uncertain seas, cracked crowns, melting clocks, and fractured flags — act as modern hieroglyphs. Each symbol is deliberate, a metaphor charged with historical, political, or personal resonance. Keys and locks often represent the search for something precious in life — a hidden truth or realization that requires effort, clarity, or courage to unlock.

My work might seem disjointed or bizarre at first glance but resolves into a coherent, deeply cynical, narrative upon further inspection: the institutions that were once meant to protect liberty, justice, and truth are now festooned with symbolism of nationalism, greed, and spectacle. Animals — instinctual, often predatory — take the place of human reason and governance, blurring the lines between satire and lament. These animals often serve as surrogates for human vulnerability, strength, or deception, adding layers of narrative and emotion.

Insects appear throughout my work as symbols of life’s shared struggles. They embody persistence, discomfort, and survival — universal challenges that transcend identity or status. At the heart of these works lies a tension between chaos and order, vulnerability and resistance. Sometimes my messages emerge from poetry I’ve written; other times they evolve instinctively, drawn from the subconscious or collective memory. My use of stylistic pastiche — borrowing visual grammar from Van Gogh to Robert Crumb — is not homage alone, but a deliberate bridge between emotional intensity and cultural critique.

These images are not merely illustrations. They are questions. They are warnings. They are small revolutions wrapped in metaphor.

— Ron Jesiołowski