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Jeremy Blake
Jeremy Blake
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Jeremy Blake (October 4, 1971 – July 17, 2007) was an American digital artist and painter. His work included projected DVD installations, Type C prints, and collaborative film projects.

Key Information

Education and career

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Blake graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a B.F.A. in 1993 and the California Institute of the Arts with an M.F.A. in 1995.[1]

Still from Blake's Winchester Redux, a five-minute digital video with sound, continuous loop (2004)

His work was selected for the Whitney Biennial in 2000, 2002[2] and 2004.[3] His "Winchester" series, inspired by the story of Sarah Winchester and the Winchester Mystery House, was shown at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2005.[4] He also was selected to participate in the Renaissance Society group exhibition, "All the Pretty Corpses", in 2005.[5]

Blake also created the painted abstract interlude sequences for Paul Thomas Anderson's fourth film Punch-Drunk Love, and contributed images and video for Beck's album Sea Change. Blake was also involved in creating and commissioning a soundtrack album called The Forty Million Dollar Beatnik with Neil Landstrumm and Mike Fellows in 2000 on Scandinavia Records and Pork Salad Press to accompany an L.A. drawings/script show by Blake of the same title.

His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art[6] and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.[4]

Personal life

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Blake was the boyfriend of filmmaker, cultural critic and video game designer Theresa Duncan. In February 2007, the couple moved from Los Angeles to New York City, and resided in the East Village. He was also the son of Anne Schwartz Delibert and the brother of Adrienne Morningstar Delibert.[7]

Death

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On July 10, 2007, Blake found Duncan dead in their apartment, the result of an apparent suicide. On July 17, 2007, Blake was reported missing off New York's Rockaway Beach in Queens. According to press reports, a woman had called 911 to report that she saw a man walking out into the ocean. Blake's clothes and wallet were reportedly found along with a suicide note that referred to Duncan. On July 22, 2007, Blake's body was found by a fisherman in the waters off Sea Girt, New Jersey. Blake's cause of death was presumed to be suicide by drowning.[8]

According to statements by acquaintances of the couple that have appeared in published reports (including an article in the January 2008 Vanity Fair), Blake said that he and Duncan were being followed and harassed by Scientologists prior to his disappearance. Blake also included his allegations of harassment by Scientologists and others in a 27-page "chronicle" he prepared for a lawsuit he planned to file.[7]

The Law & Order episode "Bogeyman" in season 18 is loosely based on the deaths of Duncan and Blake. In the episode, the body of the character paralleling Theresa Duncan has forensic evidence that calls into question her suicide, while the Jeremy Blake parallel character survives his suicide attempt. A legal case against him is disrupted by the cult group Systemotics, resulting in a near mistrial followed by a plea accepted after the ADA implies both he and the judge are connected to Systemotics.

The nightclub Bungalow 8, which operated in New York City from 2001 to 2009, was named for Blake's 1998 video work.

David Berman, a frontman of the band Silver Jews, wrote a song called "My Pillow is the Threshold" for Blake after Duncan's suicide.[9]

References

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from Grokipedia
Jeremy Blake (October 4, 1971 – July 22, 2007) was an American digital artist who pioneered the integration of traditional painting techniques with digital animation, creating large-scale projected installations known as "time-based paintings" or "moving paintings." His works featured looping sequences of semi-abstract imagery influenced by modernism and film noir, often exploring themes of violence, glamour, architecture, and cultural narratives through blends of hand-painted elements, vector graphics, and film footage. Blake's most notable achievement was the Winchester trilogy—a series of digital animations inspired by the architecture and mythology of the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California—which combined historical references, pop culture, and fictional elements in immersive projections. He collaborated on visual effects for Paul Thomas Anderson's film Punch-Drunk Love and provided artwork for Beck's album Sea Change, extending his influence into film and music. Participating in three Whitney Biennials, Blake's pieces entered collections of major institutions like SFMOMA, cementing his reputation as an innovator in new media art. His career ended abruptly with his suicide by drowning off Rockaway Beach, New York, one week after the suicide of his longtime companion, the artist and game designer Theresa Duncan.

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Early Influences

Jeremy Blake was born on October 4, 1971, at , an army base in , to parents Jeffrey and Anne Blake, with his father working as a . His family relocated shortly thereafter to the , area, where he was raised in . Blake attended local schools in the Takoma Park vicinity and began formal instruction during the summer following his eighth-grade year, around age 13 or 14. By age 17, he resolved to pursue a professional career in , marking an early commitment to creative practice amid a conventional suburban upbringing. Specific childhood influences on his later digital and abstract styles remain undocumented in available accounts, though his initial classes introduced foundational techniques in and that informed his trajectory toward experimentation.

Formal Training and Initial Artistic Development

Blake received a degree from the School of the in 1993. He then pursued graduate studies, earning a from the in 1995. These programs provided foundational training in traditional and techniques, which Blake credited as essential to his practice. His early artistic development emphasized a painterly sensibility, incorporating methods such as cell-painting derived from processes alongside conventional and acrylic applications. Blake maintained that remained central to his workflow, viewing digital tools as extensions rather than replacements for manual skills honed during his education. This period marked the synthesis of abstract modernism—evident in veiled shapes reminiscent of 1960s —with emerging digital experimentation, laying groundwork for his hybrid media approach. Post-graduation, Blake's initial works in the late shifted toward semi-abstract digital C-prints on large scales, engineered to mimic the and texture of traditional while integrating photographic elements. These pieces represented an from static toward time-based sequences, animating layered abstractions into looping projections that blurred boundaries between static and moving images. By merging aesthetics with modernist influences like Morris Louis and , his early output addressed themes of psychological space and cultural decay, establishing a distinctive style rooted in formal training yet innovative in medium.

Artistic Career

Emergence in the Art World

Following his Master of Fine Arts degree from the in 1995, Blake relocated to , where he initially supported himself as a digital photo retoucher while experimenting with in his artistic practice. This period marked his transition from traditional painting training to incorporating , beginning with digital works around 1995 that blended abstract forms with subtle narrative elements. His early output included semi-abstract compositions rendered as large-scale Type C prints, which mimicked the appearance of paintings but leveraged digital processes for fluid, layered effects. Blake's entry into broader recognition occurred in the late through gallery exhibitions showcasing these digital projections and prints, which featured colorful geometric abstractions evolving over time via looping animations. These works distinguished themselves in the scene by merging painterly aesthetics with cinematic movement, attracting attention for their hypnotic quality and technical innovation amid the rising interest in . By the early 2000s, his visibility increased with inclusions in prestigious group shows, such as the 2000 , solidifying his position as an emerging figure in digital and time-based media. This phase of emergence coincided with Blake's first solo exhibition, "," at Feigen Contemporary in , which highlighted his evolving "moving paintings"—silent, projected loops that evoked emotional and psychological narratives without overt storytelling. Critics noted the works' lush tonalities and rhythmic shifts as a fresh to static traditions, though some observed their reliance on digital tools risked overshadowing conceptual depth. Blake's rapid ascent reflected the art market's growing appetite for hybrid analog-digital forms, positioning him among peers challenging medium boundaries in institutions like the .

Evolution of Style and Techniques

Jeremy Blake, trained as a painter, initially explored digital media in the late 1990s through projections that fused abstract geometric forms with organic shapes and photographic elements, such as poolside cabanas and modernist interiors, evoking the motion of Color Field paintings. This marked a shift from static painting to time-based works, driven by the limitations of traditional media in conveying movement and psychological depth, incorporating film techniques like dissolves and skips to blend old and new aesthetics. His techniques evolved around layering disparate sources—scanned found materials, vector graphics, hand-painted imagery, and 8mm film footage—collaged in Adobe Photoshop using a Wacom tablet, with files serving as keyframes for animation in Adobe After Effects. These processes produced color-saturated, morphing abstractions reminiscent of modernist painters like Mark Rothko and Morris Louis, featuring vibrant, unmoored hues adjusted frame-by-frame to heighten emotional resonance and hallucinatory effects. By the early , Blake refined his "time-based paintings" into looping digital animations lasting three to twenty minutes, often projected or displayed on screens, with endless cycles of mutating forms that blurred boundaries between , , and installation. Works like Mod Lang (2001) exemplified continuous 16-minute loops of shifting color fields inducing mood variations, while later pieces such as the trilogy (2005) incorporated narrative elements, layering historical photographs, ink drawings, and architectural motifs from the to explore themes of and excess through cinematic . This progression emphasized gradual image transformations, evoking natural cycles, while maintaining a painterly quality via digital shimmer and organic .

Major Works and Collaborations

Blake's Winchester Trilogy, comprising Winchester (2002, 18 minutes), 1906 (2003, 21 minutes), and Century 21 (2004, 12 minutes), represents a pinnacle of his digital animation practice. Inspired by the architectural eccentricities and ghostly lore of the in —built continuously from 1886 to 1922 by to appease spirits—the works layer hand-painted imagery, 8mm and 16mm film footage, ink drawings, , and ambient sound to create looping, hypnotic projections evoking psychological disorientation and historical trauma. Another significant series, initiated with Mod Lang (2001), includes Berkshire Fangs (2001) and Chemical Sundown (2001), digitally animated explorations loosely drawn from the tumultuous life of actress , blending abstract forms with allusions to mid-20th-century Hollywood decay and personal disintegration. These time-based paintings, projected as immersive installations, merge painterly abstraction with cinematic pacing, often exhibited in galleries like the of American Art. In collaborations, Blake contributed abstract interlude sequences to Paul Thomas Anderson's film (2002), inserting color-saturated, hallucinatory digital visuals—shimmering landscapes and chromatic abstractions—that punctuate the narrative, enhancing its surreal emotional undercurrents without overt symbolism. He also partnered with musician on the album artwork for Sea Change (2002), producing swirling, melancholic digital overlays atop photographic portraits, alongside live concert projections and a for the track "," which incorporated his morphing abstract animations to complement the song's introspective tone. Additionally, Sodium Fox (date unspecified in sources, circa early 2000s) emerged from a collaboration with indie musician David Berman of The , focusing on Berman's persona through layered digital effects and narrative fragments.

Reception and Legacy

Critical Acclaim and Achievements

Blake's digital animations garnered significant attention within the scene, particularly through his repeated inclusion in the exhibitions in 2000, 2002, and 2004, which highlighted his innovative use of time-based media and abstract imagery. His works were praised for blending hand-painted elements with digital processes, creating immersive projections that evoked synesthetic experiences and narrative ambiguity, as noted in gallery and museum presentations. A key achievement came from his collaboration with filmmaker on the 2002 film , where Blake provided hallucinatory visual interludes featuring shimmering landscapes and chromatic abstractions that integrated seamlessly with the narrative's emotional tone. This marked a rare crossover of into mainstream cinema, earning recognition for expanding digital media's commercial viability beyond gallery walls. The trilogy (2002), inspired by the , further solidified his reputation, with solo exhibitions at institutions like SFMOMA showcasing its layered animations combining film footage, , and sound to explore themes of and the . Blake's pieces entered prominent museum collections, including five works at the Whitney Museum of American Art, such as 1906 (2003) and Chemical Sundown (2001); two at MoMA, including Angel Dust (2000); and animations like Century 21 (2004) and Winchester at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These acquisitions reflected institutional validation of his technique, which involved iterative digital layering to produce fluid, painterly effects projected via DVD installations. By the mid-2000s, his career trajectory indicated rising prominence, with international exhibitions and representation in over a dozen museum holdings, though formal awards remained elusive in available records.

Criticisms and Artistic Limitations

In a 2001 review of Jeremy Blake's exhibition at Anton Kern Gallery, Roberta Smith of observed that his digital animations marked a transitional phase, shifting from structured grids to free-form sequences that lacked prior balance, rendered themes overly explicit, and operated below the quality standards Blake had established in earlier works, resulting in animations that were captivating but "not quite mesmerizing enough." A 2005 New York Times review by Smith of Blake's show at James Cohan Gallery faulted a series of paintings derived from his animations as "mostly awful," critiqued a digital photographic backdrop homage to Ed Ruscha titled All the Hallucinations on the as corny, and concluded that Blake's broader ambitions to embody a Renaissance man figure had failed due to inconsistencies across media. Critics occasionally highlighted tensions in Blake's "time-based paintings," where the animated, looping format—blending modernist abstraction with digital motion—prompted resistance from those accustomed to static surfaces, as the works seemed to "talk back" and disrupt traditional viewing passivity, per discussions in . Such formalist concerns underscored a perceived limitation in reconciling digital dynamism with painting's historical reticence, though Blake layered translucent colors and subtle narratives to counter accusations of superficiality or repetitiveness.

Influence on Digital Art and Preservation Challenges

Jeremy Blake's innovations in time-based digital animations, often termed "," bridged traditional aesthetics with computational processes, influencing subsequent artists to explore hybrid analog-digital forms. His works, created primarily in through layered, morphing image sequences projected via DVD installations, emphasized luminous color fields and synesthetic effects, challenging viewers' perceptions of static versus temporal media. Blake's approach merged traditions with digital tools, pioneering genres that integrated , footage, and hand-painted elements into looping projections, as seen in his trilogy exhibited at SFMOMA in 2003. This methodology inspired contemporaries and later digital artists to experiment with software-driven abstraction and non-narrative cinematic sequences, fostering a "democracy of images" where disparate visual elements compete and evolve. Blake's emphasis on process-oriented digital composition, involving up to 40 Photoshop files per video with 100 layers each, highlighted the potential for intricate, painterly depth in , impacting artists like those in the mid-2000s digital scene who adopted similar techniques for innovative . His posthumous recognition, including unfinished works completed for exhibition in 2007, underscored his role in elevating digital projections to gallery prominence, encouraging broader acceptance of time-based media as . However, Blake's reliance on specific software frameworks positioned his oeuvre as a benchmark for evolving digital aesthetics, where prefabricated tools like Photoshop enabled mystical, color-saturated narratives that prefigured contemporary and generative practices. Preservation of Blake's archives presents significant challenges due to the proprietary nature of Document (PSD) files, which encapsulate his complex layered animations and resist straightforward migration without loss of fidelity. Institutions like NYU, stewarding portions of his papers since acquisition around 2010, encounter obstacles including massive data volumes, diverse obsolete formats, and the need for emulated environments running deprecated operating systems to access original files accurately. These issues are compounded by concerns and the artist's estate dynamics, as multiple entities claim stakes in his collection, complicating standardized workflows for long-term access. Efforts to mitigate these risks, such as developing emulation strategies and forensic analysis protocols, test the limits of current practices, revealing broader vulnerabilities in media dependent on and hardware. Blake's case exemplifies how works from the early 2000s demand ongoing intervention to prevent degradation or inaccessibility, with semi-permanent solutions like virtual machines offering temporary relief but underscoring the need for sustainable, format-agnostic archiving. Despite these hurdles, preserved elements of his oeuvre continue to inform preservation methodologies, highlighting the tension between artistic intent—rooted in specific technological —and institutional mandates for perpetual reproducibility.

Personal Life

Relationships and Daily Life

Jeremy Blake maintained a long-term romantic relationship with artist and filmmaker , whom he met in 1994 amid Washington, D.C.'s punk-rock scene. The couple relocated to in 1995 and cohabited for the subsequent 12 years, residing initially in a loft before moving to a apartment and, later, a converted rectory at St. Mark's Church in the East Village. Described by acquaintances as inseparable and deeply devoted, Blake and Duncan rarely spent nights apart, frequently held hands in public, and collaborated on creative endeavors while fostering a symbiotic personal dynamic. Blake hailed from , where his father succumbed to AIDS complications when Blake was 17 years old. He had a mother, Anne Schwartz Delibert, and a sister, Adrienne, though public details on his familial interactions remain limited beyond these basic connections. Socially, Blake and Duncan hosted salon-style dinner parties and soirées at their residences, including a Venice Beach cottage during their 2002–2006 stint in , inviting artists, musicians, writers, and journalists. They frequented New York establishments such as the Beatrice Inn, Waverly Inn, , and for drinks, maintaining ties to punk-scene figures like Mike Fellows and , as well as developing a with St. Mark's pastor Frank Morales. In their daily routines, the couple upheld meticulously organized households filled with books and curiosities; Blake worked as a photo retoucher and, by 2007, as a at , often in a studio accompanied by music, bourbon, and cigarettes. They incorporated Sunday church attendance at St. Mark's into their habits, kept a on their coffee table, and organized community events like a July 3, 2007, benefit there.

Extracurricular Interests and Beliefs

Blake participated in the , punk-rock scene during the early , aligning with the "positive force" ethos exemplified by bands such as and , which emphasized activism and community-oriented philosophy over commercialism. He met his partner in 1994 amid this milieu, attending events like concerts and associating with groups such as . This involvement reflected a broader interest in punk as a and ideological framework, distinct from his visual art pursuits. In social settings, Blake hosted salon-style dinner parties featuring discussions on art, politics, and culture, often accompanied by high-quality liquor, fostering intellectual exchange among creative peers. He also engaged in video game consulting for ' Grand Theft Auto series, indicating an affinity for interactive media beyond traditional artistic media. Blake's beliefs increasingly centered on theories, particularly in the years leading to his death, where he and Duncan shared convictions that operated as a front for government intelligence agencies monitoring and harassing them. They accused figures like musician , filmmaker , and actor of complicity in these plots, with Duncan drafting a 27-page lawsuit against attributing professional setbacks to Cruise's influence. Blake attended meetings at St. Mark's Church in New York, exploring narratives of government deception, and purchased a for self-protection, framing himself as a defender against perceived threats. Politically, Blake critiqued what he saw as a "pathetic right-wing invasion" of Hollywood by the Bush administration and extremist religious elements, reflecting leftist-leaning toward institutional power. Raised Jewish, he occasionally attended Sunday services at St. Mark's with Duncan, though no deeper religious adherence is documented; their shared evoked a quasi-religious devotion to bohemian ideals and artist mythologies. These convictions, while unsubstantiated, intensified their isolation, as reported by contemporaries who observed escalating .

Death and Controversies

Circumstances of the Suicides

Theresa Duncan was found dead in the East Village apartment she shared with Jeremy Blake on July 10, 2007, after ingesting a lethal overdose of Tylenol PM—containing diphenhydramine—combined with bourbon, as confirmed by the medical examiner's ruling of suicide by acute intoxication. Blake discovered her body in their bedroom and alerted authorities; a suicide note was present near the scene, though its contents were not publicly detailed. Blake, distraught following Duncan's death, was reported missing on July 17, 2007, after friends observed his increasingly withdrawn behavior. On that date, witnesses saw the 6-foot-2 artist walk naked into the surf off Rockaway Beach in , New York, leaving his clothes, wallet, and shoes on the shore, which were later recovered by police. His body washed ashore and was discovered by a on July 22, 2007, approximately 4.5 miles off ; the cause of death was ruled , with presumed based on the circumstances and absence of foul play indicators. findings supported this determination, showing no evidence of external trauma or substances inconsistent with intentional immersion.

Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia

Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake developed profound paranoia in the mid-2000s, convinced they were targets of harassment by the Church of Scientology, which they believed had sabotaged Duncan's career and personal life. This fixation intensified after Blake collaborated on album artwork for musician Beck in 2002, whose association with Scientology Duncan interpreted as a vector for infiltration into their circle. Duncan's blog posts from 2005 onward escalated into rants alleging Scientologist stalking, phone tapping, and conspiracies involving figures like Tom Cruise, whom she mocked in her aborted film project Zero Zero—a multimedia work canceled in 2003 amid professional setbacks she attributed to external interference rather than creative or financial issues. Friends observed the couple's withdrawal from social networks, with Duncan emailing acquaintances about "satanic plots" and Blake echoing delusions of surveillance, including fears of being followed by unmarked cars and compromised communications. Their paranoia extended beyond to broader conspiracies, such as alleged involvement by executives and government entities in suppressing their work, often framed in Duncan's writings as part of a cultural cabal favoring over independent ry. By 2006, this shared delusion had isolated them in , where they avoided industry contacts and fixated on perceived betrayals, including Blake's belief that professional rejections masked deliberate . Contemporaries like Paul Davis recounted Duncan's frantic calls about "being watched," while Blake's associate Jim Nichols dated the onset to post-Beck collaborations, noting a shift from collaborative optimism to manic suspicion. No verifiable evidence supported these claims; spokespeople denied involvement, and Duncan's project failures aligned with standard Hollywood economics rather than orchestrated . Following the suicides—Duncan by Tylenol overdose on July 10, 2007, and Blake by saltwater on July 17—online speculation proliferated, with some forums and blogs positing disguised as double suicide, citing the couple's "unacceptable" critiques of powerful institutions as motive. These theories gained traction amid the art world's grief, amplified by Duncan's posthumously viral blog archive, but lacked substantiation; New York City medical examiner reports ruled both deaths self-inflicted, with toxicology showing no foreign substances indicative of . Blake's body, recovered wearing dry clothes despite ocean immersion, showed no trauma beyond , and witness accounts placed him voluntarily entering the water at Rockaway Beach. Investigations by authorities and private inquiries by friends uncovered no foul play, attributing the tragedy to untreated decline exacerbated by mutual reinforcement of unfounded fears, a pattern common in codependent paranoid states rather than external . Despite this, fringe narratives persist in niche communities, often romanticizing the pair as martyrs to "truth-telling," though primary accounts from associates emphasize personal unraveling over institutional malice.

Investigations, Autopsies, and Mental Health Context

Following Theresa Duncan's death on July 10, 2007, police investigated the scene at her East Village apartment, where she was found by Jeremy Blake with a , a bottle of pills, and alcohol nearby, leading authorities to classify it preliminarily as pending confirmation. Blake's subsequent disappearance on July 17, 2007, prompted a missing persons report after his clothes, wallet, and identification were discovered on Rockaway Beach in , with no signs of struggle or third-party involvement noted by investigators. His body was recovered on July 22, 2007, floating off the shore near Aviator Beach, and the New York Police Department, in coordination with the , ruled the death a presumed without evidence of foul play. Autopsy examinations for both individuals were conducted by the Office of Chief . Duncan's postmortem revealed evidence consistent with , with tests confirming the presence of pharmaceuticals and alcohol as contributory factors to her death, officially determined as . Blake's , performed after his body's recovery, identified saltwater as the cause, supported by physical evidence of immersion and absence of trauma indicative of ; results were pending but did not alter the ruling. No anomalies in either suggested external interference, aligning with police findings that the deaths were self-inflicted and sequential. In the months leading to their deaths, Blake and Duncan exhibited signs of deteriorating , including escalating and erratic behavior, as reported by friends and associates who observed their fixation on conspiracy theories involving , government surveillance, and perceived satanic influences targeting their careers. Blake, in particular, had consulted a who assessed him as at high risk for due to these symptoms, though no formal public of conditions like depression or was disclosed. Duncan's mental fragility was similarly noted by contemporaries, manifesting in withdrawal from professional networks and heightened suspicions, but without documented treatment history surfacing in investigations. These patterns, while not clinically verified in official records, contextualize the suicides as potentially linked to untreated psychological distress rather than external coercion, per accounts from their social circle.

References

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