JUDITH LINHARES
Diviner, 2023. Color lithograph. Paper Size: 30 x 38.25 in. Edition of 25
When Judith Linhares began making prints at Jungle Press, she brought with her a few small objects for inspiration, including a striped wooden tiger, a well-worn figurine of a little old woman, and a pillowcase with a colorful daisy print pattern. These objects, along with her childhood memories, comprise the grab bag of imagery from which the artist draws inspiration.
For “Diviner,” the artist began working on a large lithographic stone with brush and ink. In her drawing, a tiger levitates over a blue watery surface, casting its shadow. The tiger’s expression is quizzical, almost smiling. Rendered in bold black stripes over yellow, the tiger floats over a background of yellow and green daisies. White floral shapes float on a reflective surface below. The atmosphere is supernatural, perhaps animistic.
Suitor, 2023. Fourteen color lithograph. 27.25 x 22.25 in. Edition of 25
In “Suitor,” Linhares draws from her youth in California, where she grew up in a family of performers and acrobats. In this colorful print, a brilliant energy radiates from the pair, the figure of the woman almost defying gravity.
Paw, 2023. Color lithograph. 23.25 x 17.75 in. Edition of 15
With “Paw”, the artist draws the image of a glove on a lithographic stone to create sculptural light and shadow. “Paw” is presented against two different backgrounds. The first is a rainbow of orange, yellow, and blue. The second version is teal blue, suggesting a foggy sea. On the cuff of the glove, a series of faces emerges drawn in crayon. Some look as if they are about to speak, lending a mystical quality to the experience of the print
Volunteer, 2023. Color lithograph. 23.75 x 17.75 in. Edition of 15
In “Volunteer”, the artist presents a single glove on an image of corrugated cardboard as a background. Held up in an iconic presentation, the glove here is well-worn, evoking its use in manual labor.
Crone, 2023. Color lithograph. 23.75 x 17.75 in. Edition of 15
With “Crone”, the artist creates the image based on a figurine she has had in her collection since childhood. The little old woman seems like a benevolent wise elder. Here, she is perched on a rocky out cropping, with a smile on her face, as if to encourage passage from one phase to another.
– Andrew Mockler
Judith Linhares is from California, raised in Los Angles, and attended the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. She lived and worked in San Francisco before moving to New York in 1980.
She has received support from the National Endowment for the Arts (1979, 1987, 1993), the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation (1993) and the Joan Mitchell Foundation (2013).
She currently is represented by the PPOW Gallery in New York. She recently had a solo exhibition of work from the 1970’s at Parker Gallery in Los Angeles (2023) and another at the Sarasota Museum “Judith Linhares: Artist as Curator” (2022) and exhibited in a group show at Masimo de Carlo Gallery in London (2023) and “Contemporary Art: Five Propositions” at the Museum of Fine Art Boston (2019). She has exhibited in many group shows including Marcia Tucker’s “Bad Painting” exhibit at the New Museum (1978) and the Venice Biennale (1984). Her work is in the collection of the Whitney Museum, the San Francisco Museum, the Oakland Museum, the Greenville County Museum, the New Briton Museum, the San Diego Museum, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, and many other institutions. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.