Et in Arcadia Ego features a selection of paintings by Jennifer Bartlett (1941-2022), Jane Irish (b. 1955), Alex Katz (b. 1927), Markus Lüpertz (b. 1941), and Susan Rothenberg (1945-2020). This exhibition title, "Even in Arcadia, there am I" in Latin, evokes themes of natural beauty and mortality, and this show centers Jennifer Bartlett's renowned 1990 series "The Four Seasons."
Bartlett's "The Four Seasons" speaks to the 1987 series The Seasons by Jasper Johns, a longtime friend with whom Bartlett's work remained in active dialogue. Similar to Johns' prints, Bartlett's canvases feature seasonal imagery representing cycles of growth and aging, as well as handprints and fragments of the body. Bartlett replaces Johns' silhouettes with skeletons, paired with animals, flora and fauna, and her own vocabulary of grids and quilts. Objects such as paying cards, dominoes, and dice evoke themes of chance, speaking to the imminent risks and possibilities imbued in seasonal change. In this series Bartlett explores and notions of constancy and mutability, both within each painting and in the spacial and temporal space between them.
Using the traditional decorative medium of distemper, Jane Irish's 'tapestry paintings' fuse luscious landscapes with historical imagery. This layering of temporal and aesthetic references creates confrontations between often conflicting forms of history, inspired by her research and ongoing work as an activist.
This exhibition will be on view in the second floor gallery.
