The Life and Artistic Evolution of Jay DeFeo Born Mary Joan DeFeo in Hanover, United States, the artist became a celebrated figure in the 1950s within the community of Beat artists, musicians, and poets in San Francisco. After studying at the University of California, Berkeley, she traveled through Europe, living in Paris and London before settling in Florence. Her early career involved creating jewelry, small paintings, and drawings,…
Scroll through Jay DeFeo's working life — artwork by artwork, chapter by chapter — from the earliest dated work to the last. Each thumbnail is pinned at its exact year on the gold axis.
The ribbon is divided into shaded bands, one per career chapter. Each chapter groups Jay DeFeo's works by their historical period — early training, mature practice, final years.
Every thumbnail is pinned at its precise creation year. A thin gold thread drops from the image to its exact point on the axis. Larger frames mark the artist's masterpieces by rank.
The gradient bar beneath the axis shifts colour as the dominant art movement changes over time — from the warm golds of the early period through the deeper tones of maturity. It fills progressively as you scroll.