Herb Jackson Exhibition Features three Veronica’s Veil Paintings

Herb Jackson’s paintings are characterized by their abstract imagery excavated from layers and layers of paint. The best known series of his work is Veronica’s Veil. The series began in 1980 and continues today; he has produced over 225 Veils.It would be fair to conclude that Herb Jackson’s paintings in the Veronica’s Veil series are as authentic as the biblical veronica’s veil itself. It is not a question of religious belief but of a certain dynamic that has particularly interested painters. The artist is the one who makes contact with he canvas, a modern veil with the potential to bare images of an often mysterious, spiritualistic power. The analogy between veronica’s veil and Jackson’s paintings hinges on our realizing that a painters works can be things themselves independent of reference to narrative, myth or representation of any kind. Jackson had adopted for this series certain basic conventions, such as, the 60 by 48 inch vertical format marked by the use of three lines that outline an image that appears to float off the top of the canvas.

(Source: Herb Jackson: Veronica’s Veils catalogue, The McColl Center for Visual Art, Charlotte)