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"Jesse looks at the world in pieces; and then one piece at a time. " - Holly Spruck

CIRCUS, oil on canvas, 110 x 100 cm, 1999 (collection of Scott Johnson)

Crouched before the canvas, in the bleak light of dawn, he applies a meticulous stroke, precariously balancing the full weight of his hand on his pinky. His hand comes away. His head pulls back. He squints.

His brush dips in oil. His brush pulls at a lump of color.

He emerges at a different corner of the painting, randomly selected, it might seem to the casual observer. The pattern repeats throughout the afternoon.

A steady stream of visitors lounge, converse, and carry on amidst the flickering detritus amassed on the walls and the shelves and the tables around him.

Jesse is the eye of the storm.

The sun goes down. He stands. He changes the CD that has been on finite replay for hours. He turns on the light. He smokes a cigarette at the far end of the room. His eyes rarely leave the canvas.

ENDGAME, oil on burlap, 120 x 80 cm, 1997 (collection of A. & S. Heberger)

He crouches. He hums and doesn't know he's humming. He talks. To it, to the brush, to the paint. Conversation lingers in the air around him as if he were insulated from it, but he hears. He chimes in.

He is not in a trance, but he is not altogether here either. The effect is what we have come to call "chicken bone, chicken bone, chicken bone."

The reference is to Pink Floyd's movie, The Wall. In it, Bob Geldoff's character has just gone completely ape-sh*t, and in the aftermath finds himself peacefully on the floor arranging the fragments of his destroyed hotel room, chicken carcass and all, into a meticulous collage.

Aside from "The End Game," (oil on burlap, 160 x 80 cm, commission, 1994) on permanent display at U Maleho Glena, you won't be seeing any of Jesse Littell's work at any of the cafes, bars or clubs around Prague. But you might run into Jesse. But to see more of his work on the World Wide Web, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it requesting a password that will give you access to the site.