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The High Life

By Yvonne Jacquette in Galleries —

Aerial views made from direct observation, enlivened by composite viewpoints, heightened color, and the manipulation of light and scale.

The High Life

Interview by Rosecrans Baldwin

The Morning News: Your paintings seem to suspend time, but the distance isn’t cold. What is it about the bird’s-eye view that you enjoy perceiving?

Yvonne Jacquette: Curiosity about how perspective reveals man-made structures and their relationship to “nature.” I like how the canvas plane is like the picture plane. Continue reading ↓

“Yvonne Jacquette: The High Life” is on view at DC Moore Gallery through Feb. 8, 2014. All images used with permission, copyright © the artist, all rights reserved.

Washington Square View With Bobst Library at NYU II, 2010-11. Oil on canvas, 48.75 x 69.5 in.
Washington Square View With Bobst Library at NYU II, 2010-11. Oil on canvas, 48.75 x 69.5 in.
Late Sun Above Madison Square Park II, 2012. Oil on linen, 45 x 66 in.
Late Sun Above Madison Square Park II, 2012. Oil on linen, 45 x 66 in.
NY Aerial View From Helicopter (Looking East From Hudson Yards Area) II, 2011-12. Oil on linen, 49 x 97.5 in.
NY Aerial View From Helicopter (Looking East From Hudson Yards Area) II, 2011-12. Oil on linen, 49 x 97.5 in.
Whitney Museum Under Construction II, 2013. Oil on linen, 49 x 71 in.
Whitney Museum Under Construction II, 2013. Oil on linen, 49 x 71 in.
Barred Harbor, Isle au Haut, ME II, 2012. Oil on linen, 44 x 53.25 in.
Barred Harbor, Isle au Haut, ME II, 2012. Oil on linen, 44 x 53.25 in.
Close Up Pine, In Front of Lyons, Colo., 2012. Oil on linen, 20 x 24 in.
Close Up Pine, In Front of Lyons, Colo., 2012. Oil on linen, 20 x 24 in.
North Fork of St. Vrain River, Lyons, Colo. (Before Flooding), 2013. Oil on linen, 24 x 20 in.
North Fork of St. Vrain River, Lyons, Colo. (Before Flooding), 2013. Oil on linen, 24 x 20 in.

Interview continued

TMN: What do you admire in a good architect?

YJ: Surprises, beautiful proportions, meanings for human life.

TMN: What are your favorite aspects of airports?

YJ: Favorite aspects of airports exist only in small airports. Larger airports are full of unsettling chaos, including terrible food.

TMN: What’s the last piece of art you saw, by another artist, that disoriented or confused you?

YJ: Astrid Bowlby’s “Sneaky Peanuts,” a panel, eight inches square, with white cat hair and bubble gum attached in swirls.

TMN: What is a typical work day like?

YJ: A typical work day once a pastel study is made: blowing up image, questioning every mark.

TMN: After you’ve painted a place, which do you remember better, the original place or the painting?

YJ: The painting erases the memory of the place.