Witness

Painting

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Purdue University Galleries

Name/Title

Witness

Entry/Object ID

2014.13

Description

Two girls appearing faded on a pastel gradient background. One girl is behind the one further front of her. They look like reflections of each other one more perfect than the other in stature and appearance. The two figures stand shoulder to shoulder and the one behind is more back and seems to be blurred through sanding or a light brush of white paint overlaying her already indistinguishable face. The overall piece is haunting yet deeply emotional. This piece is made in pastel colors blended with oil paints. The skin and hair are detailed and precise with their thin line making. The individual strands of hair seem almost life-like. The eyes and nose have a bright white highlight that makes the figures seem glossy.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil on Canvas

Subject

Two girls sitting forwards. One seems perfectly kept while the other is distressed and more faded than the other.

Made/Created

Artist

Jenny Morgan

Time Period

21st Century

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Painting

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

2 in

Width

37 in

Length

42 in

Colors

Color

Brown, Red, Pink, Yellow, Purple, Blue, White

Color Notes

Pastel colors

Exhibition

She Contains Multitudes (2020)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Witness Jenny Morgan Oil on canvas New York based artist Jenny Morgan brings a unique approach to the traditional art of figure painting, building up photo-realistic portraits which she then strips back by blurring and sanding faces and hands of her sitters. The resulting images possess a ghostly, otherworldly quality that juxtapose the corporeal and the intangible. Morgan explains that her technique was the result of persistent art school critiques, which challenged her to bring something new and innovative to the genre of portraiture. Morgan’s process begins with photoshoots, taking reference images of her models that she then composes into painted compositions. Having an emotional connection to her models is greatly important for Morgan as she often uses her work to explore her personal relationships with friends and family. Her photoshoots are highly intimate affairs involving deep conversations and intense feeling. This process allows Morgan to breathe life into her subjects because she has witnessed and participated in this incredibly vulnerable process. Morgan has explained in interviews that it is easier for her to drastically alter her own image than it is for her to fully manipulate the images of others. Morgan feels that there is a level of responsibility and respect owed to her sitters. The faded, spectral figure of Morgan in the background of this work illustrates this philosophy.