Bob Jenyns - A Naive Aesthetic

A Naive Aesthetic

Of the few critics that have written on Jenyns, most refer to the 'naive' or Outsider Aesthetic evident in his work. James Gleeson in 1973, for instance, labelled Jenyns as 'pop-naive'; and Bernice Murphy believes that Jenyns' approach to form 'is allied to tribal art or direct vernacular forms in popular culture, rather than to the formal tradition of Western sculpture.' Graeme Sturgeon believes that this aesthetic 'suggests that Jenyns is a naive artist viewing everything with an apparently wide-eyed innocence.' However, all agree that this exterior is deceptive, with Sturgeon adding that 'one suspects, that behind the apparently ingenuous exterior… there lies another, more profound reality, which will be well worth discovering.' Under Jenyns' profile in Australian Sculptors, Ken Scarlett acknowledges that

His work certainly has the appearance of naivety, but it also contains a sophisticated wit … Is the sculptor really naive? Is he pulling the spectator's leg? Is he making fun of art and the whole gallery scene?

Jenyns' enthusiastic embrace of the Outsider Aesthetic appears to stem from a number of different experiences and sources. Firstly, his childhood experience of making toys out of salvaged materials has subsequently affected his treatment of materials and form later in his professional artistic career. Secondly, Jenyns has long held an interest in Folk, Naive and outsider art, which has also clearly influenced his style. Lastly, his use of the Outsider Aesthetic serves as a strategy in order to express his disapproval of certain aspects of the art establishment. For Jenyns, the Outsider Aesthetic is symbolic of individual expression, and is a way of challenging dictated notions of taste and high art.