EXPO CHICAGO APRIL 11-14 | CHICAGO NAVY PIER | BOOTH 257
HELWASER GALLERY is proud to showcase the latest series of artwork by J. Skornik at EXPO CHICAGO. We invite you to come discover our installation firsthand to truly appreciate the pieces in their texture, depth, and emotional resonance.
Skornik's artwork is a unique blend of classical training and immersion in the post-modernist art scene of New York. His creative endeavors are a dynamic response to the contemporary flood of imagery in our interconnected world, echoing the ethos of the 'pictures generation' with a modern twist. Jacob Skornik is a French Native who honed his skills in Old Masters with a degree in Art History from Paris X University, before transplanting to New York.
In his artistic process, Skornik appropriates old masterpieces and injects them with a vibrant pop art aesthetic that challenges their traditional academic presentation. He manipulates the original paintings by cropping, resizing and inverting them, turning them into striking two-tone silk screen appliqués, elevated with the shimmering allure of diamond dust. Skornik's technique creates a visualpresent, offering a narrative that seamlessly interweaves past and cinematic portrayal of classical figures like Vermeer’s Lacemaker and Girl With a Pearl Earring, immortalized in a Hollywood-esque fashion.
Muses through the spectrum of light, Masters through the spectrum of life.
Muses have been a source of inspiration and creativity throughout art history. From ancient mythology to modern times, artists have depicted their muses as ethereal beings, embodying beauty, grace, and intellect. In ancient Greece and Rome, the Muses were goddesses of the arts and sciences, each overseeing a different realm of ingenuity. Michelangelo, Raphael and Botticelli amongst others, drew upon these mythological figures, portraying them as divine sources of inspiration. During the Renaissance, prominent figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Titian immortalized their muses in portraits, elevating them to the status of timeless icons.
Despite the changing times, muses have continued to play a pivotal role in shaping the creative process, fueling artists' imagination and driving them to create works of unparalleled beauty and significance. Whether portrayed as celestial beings or mortal companions, muses continue to captivate and inspire artists to this day, embodying the eternal quest for artistic excellence and innovation. In place of seeking new sources of creativity, J. Skornik's transformational work pays homage to the original Muses. Drawing on their enduring power for inspiration, he encapsulates their eternal beauty in diamond dust, for diamonds last forever. In doing so he offers his Old Masters a “new life” - a regression, not as a relapse into infantilism but rather as “an attempt to get at something necessary, a sense of security, of reciprocated love, of trust” that the ideal affords.