JAY BATLLE
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #1, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #2, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #3, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #4, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #5, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #6, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #7, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #8, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #9, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #10, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #11, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #12, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #13, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #14, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #15, 2024. Variations in 15 Courses. Color lithograph, woodcut, and hand-coloring. 40.5 x 25.5 in. Variable edition of 15.
In Bloom: Fleur de Sel, Variations in 15 Courses
In this variable edition of 15 monoprints, painter Jay Batlle employs lithography, woodcut, and hand-coloring in a celebration of vibrant florals. The artist uses graphic gestures and vivid colors that take inspiration from 19th century French lithography and painting. Each monoprint takes on its own character while sharing kinship with the larger group. In this series, Batlle is also directly referencing his oil painting “Death of the Valkyrie” which exploits decalcomania, a favorite technique of the Surrealists. The technique involves transferring the fresh brushstrokes from one print onto another print. One can see the effect in “In Bloom: Fleur de Sel #8” where black and white swirls hover over a red field of color. The artist builds up the prints through multiple layers of woodcut and hand-colored passages, each adding nuances of fresh painterly activity. The variety of techniques keeps the viewer involved and evokes the desire to keep looking.
– Andrew Mockler
B. 1976 lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and Gascony, France
Jay Batlle received his Bachelor of Arts from University of California Los Angeles, CA in 1998. He attended the De Ateliers, in Amsterdam, from 1998 to 2000. Batlle’s “epicurean” paintings, drawings, and sculptures take the habits of the gourmet as a source of inspiration and social commentary. His oeuvre offers both a critique of comestible-related decadence and a celebration of the preparation and consumption of food across various cultures. Batlle’s work has been included in numerous exhibitions including: The MoMA PS1, Metro Pictures, Miguel Abreu Gallery, Esso Gallery, Casey Kaplan, Nyehaus, Andrew Roth, Paul Kasmin, Feigen Contemporary, Thomas Erben, the Chelsea Museum, The National Academy Museum, Exit Art, The Dorsky Gallery, and The Whitney Museum.