Details:
① Artwork:
Self-Portrait as Romanticized Painter
This composition continues the age-old practice of self-portraiture and still life painting. The whimsical, romantic scene is reminiscent in some ways of the nostalgic work of the painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell. At the same time, the style and incongruent grouping of objects—a coke bottle, loose Oreos, an improbable vase and eye-catching cleavage—are more aligned with underground comic book artists of Morgan's youth.
Imbued with folk tradition and a sly sense of humor, Rebecca Morgan's work subverts the stereotypes of Appalachia by peeling apart our culture's simultaneous reverence and disgust for rural people. Stylistically, the artist embraces the hyper-detailed naturalism of Dutch masters, as well as absurd, repulsive caricature suggestive of underground cartoonists like R. Crumb. Although they often contain modern clues, Morgan's characters and scenes evoke a romanticized, nostalgic America—nonexistent but wistfully recalled, much like Norman Rockwell’s illustrations. Morgan’s works question what such images were selling in the first place. Born in central Pennsylvania, the artist gives her archetypal maids, hillbillies and dandies the space to explore contemporary issues, including: women reclaiming their subjectivity, a pop-cultural false sense of romance and ideas about masculinity—as well as power, escapism and hedonistic backwoods pleasure.
Specs:
③ Artist:
Rebecca Morgan’s work employs folk tradition and a sly sense of humor to subvert stereotypes of Appalachia in romanticized scenes that nostalgically recall a nonexistent America. The artist’s compositions employ the hyper-detailed naturalism of Dutch masters, as well as absurd, repulsive caricature suggestive of underground cartoonists like R. Crumb. Encompassing painting, drawing, and ceramics, Morgan’s work peels apart the simultaneous reverence and disgust for rural people—questioning what popular images of the region were aiming to sell in the first place.
BIO:
Rebecca Morgan was born in central Pennsylvania. The artist received a BA from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from Pratt Institute in New York.
Morgan’s has been exhibited widely in the United States and abroad, with recent exhibitions at: Michelle Tillou in New York City; Daniel Raphael Gallery in London, UK; BravinLee Projects in New York City; Mother Gallery in Beacon, New York; Oakland University Art Gallery in Rochester, Michigan; Western Exhibitions in Chicago, Illinois; Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey; Greenpoint Terminal Gallery in New York City; The Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, Canada; The Hole in New York City; MRS Gallery in New York City; Marinaro Gallery in New York City; Hashimoto Contemporary in Los Angeles, California; Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild in New York; Fisher Parrish Gallery in Brooklyn, New York; Woskob Family Gallery at Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania; Knoll Galerie in Wien, Austria; Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica, California; Children’s Museum of Art in New York City; and SPRING/BREAK Art Fair in New York.
Morgan has been the recipient of residencies at: the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin; the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska; The Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts Residency in Newcastle, Maine; a full fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont; and the George Rickey Residency at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York; among others.
Morgan’s work has been covered in numerous publications, including: The New York Times, Time Out New York, Hyperallergic, ARTnews, Whitehot Magazine, Beautiful Decay, Artslant, Juxtapoz Magazine, The Huffington Post, Paper Magazine and Berlin's Lodown Magazine.
This composition depicts a whimsical, romantic scene reminiscent of the nostalgic work of the painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell. At the same time, the style and incongruent grouping of objects are more aligned with underground comic book artists of Morgan's youth.More
- Framed: 32.5 x 24.5 x 1.5 in.
