Julie Heffernan Sky Is Falling Analysis
Sky Is Falling by Julie Heffernan The Crocker Art museum exhibited fourteen works by Julie Heffernan in a show called “Sky is Falling”. In the exhibit Heffernan show cases male and female figures, often believed to be self-portraits in different manifestations, in extravagant landscapes while using metaphorical imagery to express the lives of women and the concern she has for the endangered environment. The figures are often depicted trying to restore order to a world that is falling apart around them. Heffernan is known for her lush, colorful, and mystical style artworks and many of her paintings display an assortment of styles. The artists paintings are reminiscent of paintings done by Heironymus Bosch, also of the Rococo, and Romantic
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By this technique of relaxing the mind and letting the brain flood with images, Heffernan is able to layer her artwork into the canvas space. Heffernan begins her artwork with sketches, then marks those sketches until she begins to see images in them (Samet). She relates this technique to frottage, which is applying a texture to a piece of paper, to make her paintings detailed. Self Portrait with Falling Sky (2011, Oil on Canvas, 68x60) depicts a nude woman being pelted with falling rocks. These rocks resemble jewels, potatoes, and are adorned with growing shrubs. The rocks are textured, the artist paints swirls and jewels into them, as well as chipped pieces, suggestive of the rigidness of a stone. The woman is surrounded by green flora amidst a blue backdrop. Her hands are thrown upward to protect herself, as she is even being splashed with water tipping from above out of a flower pot. This piece reminds one of surrealist art. It looks like a scene from a bad dream. The juxtaposition of the objects- the female nude, flying rocks, and forestry- capture the ideals of surrealist art. Heffernan’s technique of layering the rocks and placing her subject with her hands in extended space between these rocks gives the piece depth and a sense of
By this technique of relaxing the mind and letting the brain flood with images, Heffernan is able to layer her artwork into the canvas space. Heffernan begins her artwork with sketches, then marks those sketches until she begins to see images in them (Samet). She relates this technique to frottage, which is applying a texture to a piece of paper, to make her paintings detailed. Self Portrait with Falling Sky (2011, Oil on Canvas, 68x60) depicts a nude woman being pelted with falling rocks. These rocks resemble jewels, potatoes, and are adorned with growing shrubs. The rocks are textured, the artist paints swirls and jewels into them, as well as chipped pieces, suggestive of the rigidness of a stone. The woman is surrounded by green flora amidst a blue backdrop. Her hands are thrown upward to protect herself, as she is even being splashed with water tipping from above out of a flower pot. This piece reminds one of surrealist art. It looks like a scene from a bad dream. The juxtaposition of the objects- the female nude, flying rocks, and forestry- capture the ideals of surrealist art. Heffernan’s technique of layering the rocks and placing her subject with her hands in extended space between these rocks gives the piece depth and a sense of