Jean Jack lives, sells antiques and paints in Santa Fe, New
Mexico. She was born in Massachusetts, and lived and worked in Greenwich,
Ct., before coming to New Mexico in 1990.
in her new series of paintings, Jean again takes the relationship between landscape and buildings as the initial departure point for the formal investigations of her paintings. The buildings fit themselves into the landscape, and the sky fills in the spaces between the two. In the traditional regionalist parlance, the way this triangle of specifics interrelates is called " a sense of place".
There is a poignant sense of unease and even loneliness in the places Jean visits, however, which is underscored by her dramatic contrasts of complementary colors, and equally dramatic transitions between reality and unreality. Despite Jacks use of very real houses and churches as models, these are realistic paintings only in the a sense. "Idealistic" is perhaps a better word for the convincing power of the very simplified forms and colors. These bright sensitive paintings are more of an exquisite arrangement of elements that express an essential feeling about the places she visits.
It could be asked why these images are so appealing. They are, after all, even lonelier than Edward Hopper's paintings, and even more abstract than the homespun universal truths of folk art. In the most literal way, houses are an immediate necessity in our lives. The provide us with shelter and warmth, social status and a physical place in our community. Our homes are a metaphor for who we are, who we wish we were, and where we want to be. According to the language of dreams, houses are even symbols of ourselves: complex interrelationships of interior and exterior realities, unconscious and conscious lives. Jean Jack has a talent for presenting these many layers of meanings in a few deft strokes of color, or a few carefully chosen shapes.
Perhaps most importantly, Jack conveys the quiet dignity of these architectural shapes as she rearranges them, tries them out from different perspectives, composes them in varying color relationships, and emphasizes the specific beauty of different forms. One senses that she becomes close to her subjects in the way that other artists become attached to their human models. She paints variations of specific houses from different perspectives and at different times of the year. She loves these buildings for their imperfections and idiosyncrasies; and it is both impossible and unimportant to know exactly when or where these places exist because they are creations of the artist. Education- Art Students League, NYC 1960-62 & 1978
Honors-
1986- Elizabeth Fahle Award - Greenwich Art Society
Juried - Andrew Stasik, Director, Silvermine Galleries, New Caanan, Ct.
1985- Silvermine Northeast USA Exhibition - Champion International Corp. Judge Carolyn Lauchner - Curator, Museum of Modern Art, New York City
1984- Sponsors Award Judge Jaqueline Moss Art Historian - Lecturer
1983 Judges Choice Judge Susanne Delehanty - Director, Neuberger Museum
1980 - General Cable Award - Judge Antonio Frasconi - Professor of Visual Arts, S.U.N.Y.
1979 - New York Graphics Award - Judge Dorothy Mayhall - Curator, Aldrich Museum
1978 1st Place OIL Judge John Squaden Rowayton Arts Center
1978 - Sponsors Award - Judge Will Barnett - Painter and instructor, Arts Student League and Penn State.
1977 Sponsors Award Judge Wade Jackson - Archivist and head of viewing, Guggenheim Museum
1976 - Sponsors Award Judge Carlos Duyer - Director, Aldrich Museum
What Remains Gray
50 x 50 |
|
Afternoon Glow
54 x 54
Nova Scotia Salmon
Artichoke Barns Red
50 x 50
|
