Little biographical information is currently available about Jan Rae, an artist who collaborated with Fred Genis during the Australian period of his career.
What the two prints reveal is striking. Litho I — a printer’s proof signed by the artist — presents a figure in close profile, lips pressed to a cup or vessel, rendered in bold, confident black hatching with strong tonal contrast and an immediacy that fills the picture plane completely. The second print brings the same intensity to a close-up face, built up through dense, swirling cross-hatching in warm tones that give the surface an almost sculptural depth and weight. Both works demonstrate a draughtsman of real accomplishment — someone thoroughly at home with the lithographic medium and unafraid of scale, darkness, and the human face observed at very close range.
These are not decorative works. They are serious, searching figurative studies that speak of an artist with a strong and confident vision and the technical command to realise it fully.
We welcome any further biographical information about this artist.
