The artwork
#artwork historical past #Ewa Juszkiewicz #exhibition #portray #portraits
April 22, 2024
Kate Mothes
“Untitled (after Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun)” (2020), oil on canvas, 130 x 100 centimeters. All photographs © the artist, courtesy of Almine Rech, distributed with permission
From elaborate hairstyles to hypertrophied mushrooms, a variety of surprising facial coverings seem in Ewa Juszkiewicz's portraits. Drawing on elegant likenesses of girls from the 18th and 19th centuries, the artist overlays material, fruit bouquets, foliage and extra over the ladies's faces.
In a aspect occasion of the 60th annual Venice Biennale, offered by Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso and Almine Rech, Juszkiewicz presents a collection of works made between 2019 and 2024 that encapsulate the re-conception they precisely describe a preferred Western style. Locks with swollen leaves and buds presents his elaborate, technically crafted items utilizing conventional oil portray and lacquering strategies.
Juszkiewicz's nameless topics are reminders of the systemic omission of girls from artwork historical past and the previous extra broadly. Actually, within the face of portraits meant to commemorate and rejoice people, the artist utterly erases his identification, alluding solely to the names of the unique artists within the titles. In a seemingly contradictory strategy, by drawing our consideration to this erasure, Juszkiewicz piques our curiosity about who they had been.
“By protecting the face of historic portraits, Juszkiewicz challenges the very essence of this style: she destroys the portrait as such,” says curator Guillermo Solana. In a current video, we get a glimpse into the artist's studio, the place she describes how components of one other European portray custom, the nonetheless life, present a bunch of symbolic objects to cover every particular person's face, from botanicals to ribbons and meals .
Locks with leaves and buds that tighten continues in Venice at Palazzo Cavanis till September 1. Discover extra on the artist's web site and Instagram.
“Untitled (after François Gérard)” (2023), oil on canvas, 100 x 80 centimeters
“Untitled (after Joseph van Lerius)” (2020), oil on canvas, 70 x 55 centimeters
Left: “Portrait in Venetian Pink (after Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun)” (2024), oil on canvas, 190 x 140 centimeters. Proper: “Girl with a Pearl (after François Gérard)” (2024), oil on canvas, 80 x 65 centimeters
“Hen of paradise” (2023) oil on canvas, 200 x 160 centimeters. Photograph by Serge Hasenböhler Images
#artwork historical past #Ewa Juszkiewicz #exhibition #portray #portraits
Do tales and artists like this matter to you? Change into a Colossal member immediately and help impartial artwork publishing for simply $5 a month. You'll join with a group of readers who’re obsessed with up to date artwork, learn ad-free articles and newsletters, help our interview collection, get reductions and early entry to our restricted print editions, and extra. Be part of now!