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In the Portraits from Memory Watercolors show in Spring 2019, Jasper presented his extraordinary collection of work at UCSC that covered his recollections of the people in his life. The paintings highlight his exceptional memory for visual details and personality traits.
Browse the entire show of paintings online
Best viewed with an Mac or Windows PC computer with a newer browser.
Some have audio commentary by Jasper
Slides were skillfully assembled by Robert Lange.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM5B4XCKNLw
Background on the show from Cowell College:
He had a long and distinguished career, spending time at Cambridge, Rice University and at UCSC, first as a Senior Preceptor and founding faculty, subsequently Provost at UCSC. He returned to England around 1990, settling in Bath. In the mid 1990's he started to recapture the people he had encountered by painting small portraits from memory. Often whimsical, often sharp, they are always interesting.
The exhibit came about organically. In the summer of 2016, Faye Crosby, newly retired after six years as provost of Cowell College, found herself in England. She paid a call on Jean and Jasper Rose in Bath. Jasper showed Faye many of his watercolors painted from memory, and Faye was captivated by the whimsy and wit of the portraits. With a small grant, she was able in 2017 to travel back to Bath with Cheryl Doering and Robert Lange. Eric Thiermann loaned the team some equipment and provided professional guidance so that Robert, Cheryl, and Faye were able to record Jasper’s comments on the people he had painted. Although he was ill at the time of the Americans’ visit, Jasper rallied valiantly and provided as much description as he was able. Subsequently, a team of dedicated students – including Kevin Tie, Emily Aranda, and Ian Johnson – extracted snippets from many of the descriptions and worked to attach the voice recordings to the scans of individual portraits. Robert Lange and Blithe Brandon edited the students’ work, and the result is the electronic file.
At the opening of the show Cameron Vanderscoff made these remarks about Jasper’s life:
Jasper Rose was born in London, England to a family of scholars and writers in 1930. His father William Rose was a prominent Germanist at the London School of Economics. His mother Dorothy Rose, was a literary translator and writer. She collaborated often with her husband. Jasper‘s parents provided shelter and support to many fellow Jewish intellectuals fleeing from Nazi Germany. Jasper was evacuated to the countryside during World War II like many British children. He was immediately drawn to the natural beauty of the Thames and rural England. Influenced by 19th century artists like John Constable and William Turner, he learned a special love of landscape painting, which like his love of William Morris, has been a through-line in his work.
After the war Jasper graduated from Kings College Cambridge where he studied history and met his wife Jean, also a gifted artist. He also became a fellow there and co-wrote his celebrated book about Oxford and Cambridge, called Camford Observed: An investigation into the Ancient English Universities in the Modern World.
In the early 1960s Jasper and Jean moved to United States with their two children. After a brief stint at Rice University, Jasper joined UCSC as a founding faculty member. Jasper served as Cowell College’s first senior preceptor and later succeeded Page Smith as the second provost during 1970 to 1974. Later Jasper moved to Porter College.
As a beloved educator in history, art history, art and beyond, Jasper cared deeply about student’s experiences of learning and living. He cut an impressive figure, often in his Cambridge gown. He was instrumental in the growth of the arts at UCSC and reveled in helping students develop. He presided enthusiastically over the legendary waltzes is in the Cowell dining hall.
Jasper and Jean left Santa Cruz in 1986 to return to England. And, eventually they settled in the naturally beautiful and historic city of Bath that has long been a center for the art world.
The Portraits from Memory show was a collaborative effort involving many people and institutions. We give thanks to UCSC alumna Betsy Buchalter Adler, Emily Aranda, Blithe Brandon, Cowell College Provost Alan Christy, Tauna Coulson, Provost Emerita Faye Crosby, alumnus Jack Daley, alumna Cheryl Doering, Anne Easley, the Gary D. Licker Memorial Fund, Ian Johnson, Robert Lange, Paul Lee and family, alumna Kathleen Rose, Sentinel Printers, Cathy Shender, alumnus Eric Thiermann, Kevin Tie, and alumnus Cameron Vanderscoff. We are very grateful to Jasper and Jean Rose and their sons William and Inigo.
Copyright © 2012-2020 Jack Daley |
Very British, Jasper’s childhood was marked by
relocation from London to the countryside during World War II.
