Julie Heffernan: A New Kind Of History Painting
2011 Self Portrait with Retired Idols
Julie Heffernan is a California born, New York resident. Her paintings were described by the writer Rebecca Solnit as “a new kind of history painting.” Her works are full of an ancient mythological symbolism but with a sci-fi, fantasy twist. Although many of the themes and styles seem pretty familiar, the detail and modernity of the pieces are something quite new to my Luddite eyes.
Here’s what Heffernan has to say about her motivations as an artist:
My recent work is focused on making sense of the world around me after calamities such as Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. We are slowly making our world unlivable, and I want to bring to the surface the destructive action, waste, and contamination that is generally invisible to us.
I need to imagine another way, to outfit myself with signs and banners that speak louder than I can, to envision how we might remake the world as it is slowly falling apart.
Her paintings are all presented as self-portraits. Here are a selection of her impressively vast back catalogue (click to enlarge):
2013 Self Portrait Running Amok
2013 Self Portrait on the Brink
2013 Self Portrait as Hikers
2013 Self Portrait as Emergency Shipwright
2013 Self Portrait as Catastrophic Failure
2012 Self Portrait as John the Baptist
2012 Self Portrait as Intrepid Scout Leader
2007 Self Portait with Men in Hats
2008 Self Portrait Sitting on a World
2008 Self Portrait with Girlfriends at the Ready
2009 Self Portrait with Places to Go
2010 Self Portrait as Tree House
2011 Self Portrait as Explosive
