Jun Cen's Soothing Illustrations Explore Loneliness in the Modern Era
While looking into other illustrators who may have focussed on themes of loneliness, depression and mental illness for my work with 504 responding to briefs 1 and 2, I came across this great article from It's Nice That showcasing Jun Cen's illustrations.
Jun Cen is an established Chinese illustrator with a background in printmaking currently working in New York with clients such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Vogue and WeTransfer. He is known for his smooth and calming works internationally. He adopts an open mind to illustration because of his broad clients and audience and their culture taste.
From It's Nice That: It is the theme of loneliness in the modern era (which he also tends to experience) that regularly crops up in his work. In a world filled with hatred and bigotry, Jun goes on to say: "Even the words we use in both virtual and visual worlds sometimes become a mess of censorship to silence those who hold different opinions. When I feel frustrated or lonely, I feel more like an individual than any other time. So my recent work focuses on these moments of introspection."
Jun Cen: Text Me
Very cold and mostly muted colours on the fingers. The more saturated blue turning to black on the phone screen in a gradient makes this the focal point of the composition. The faceless figure turning away gives a coldness, an emptiness, a separation. No integration or interaction. The many layers of the internet? The hidden layers of a person behind the screen? Social media can be not very social at all and oftentimes extremely isolating and lonely, people can be the subjects of harassment or attacks.
Jun Cen is an established Chinese illustrator with a background in printmaking currently working in New York with clients such as The New York Times, The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, Vogue and WeTransfer. He is known for his smooth and calming works internationally. He adopts an open mind to illustration because of his broad clients and audience and their culture taste.
From It's Nice That: It is the theme of loneliness in the modern era (which he also tends to experience) that regularly crops up in his work. In a world filled with hatred and bigotry, Jun goes on to say: "Even the words we use in both virtual and visual worlds sometimes become a mess of censorship to silence those who hold different opinions. When I feel frustrated or lonely, I feel more like an individual than any other time. So my recent work focuses on these moments of introspection."
Jun Cen: Silence
A very muted colour palette mostly of cold blue-grey and grey white. Only small areas of peach to offset but they are very muted so as not to cause a disturbance. The composition of this illustration is very clever. It is mostly symmetrical to create a sense of balance and peace. The shadows coming down from the ceiling invite the eye down into the bottle centre where the figure and window are. The focus of the brightest element is on the white vastness beyond the dark, faceless figure forcing the audience to stare into to beyond and the unknown for a long period of time feeling detached.
Jun Cen: Text Me
Aimlessly wandering around into cyberspace into a digital graph, the lonely figure has nothing behind them and nothing ahead of them. There is a sense of ebb and flow like being underwater and moving slowly and quietly like a ghost, a shadow. Muted colours again suggesting a feeling of being emotionally drained, exhausted, tired, staring into nothing. More green tones suggesting technology.
Very cold and mostly muted colours on the fingers. The more saturated blue turning to black on the phone screen in a gradient makes this the focal point of the composition. The faceless figure turning away gives a coldness, an emptiness, a separation. No integration or interaction. The many layers of the internet? The hidden layers of a person behind the screen? Social media can be not very social at all and oftentimes extremely isolating and lonely, people can be the subjects of harassment or attacks.
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