John John Jesse
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John John Jesse is an illustrative painter from New York City's Lower East Side in the Juxtapoz gonzo-pop vein. He often shows with artists like Esao Andrews.
Dropping out of school and leaving home to squat at the age of fifteen, he turned to art to keep from returning to drug addiction. He painted the girls he grew up with, citing the punk lifestyle of girls and drugs. Most of the people featured in his work are friends of his. They are generally nude or partially disrobed, in situations that are both fantastical and gritty, and could be described as a blending of Richard Kern's transgressive sexuality with Mark Ryden's dreamy femme playlands.
Jesse also played bass in the New York hardcore band Nausea and designed posters and album art for bands like Agnostic Front. He currently plays guitar in the band Morning Glory.
