Allegorical Nudes: Becky Kolsrud At JTT, New York

Contentment and grace pervade Becky Kolsrud’s newest paintings at JTT. Kolsrud has simplified her work, positioning nude female figures in “not-quite” art historical archetypes. Drawing inspiration primarily from 19th and 20th century male masters like Corot, Courbet, Picasso and Renoir, Kolsrud has dedicated this series to the “outmoded and retrograde theme of female bathers.” Translated by Kolsrud, there is a decidedly German Expressionist look and attitude. Her super flat figures are swaddled or surrounded by patches and draperies of deep ocean blue or turquoise oil paint, testing conventional ideas about how the female figure functions simultaneously as sign, symbol and allegory.

Becky Kolsrud. Clear Boot Diptych. 2017. ©2017 BECKY KOLSRUD. PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLEY BROWN. COURTESY OF JTT.

JTT, 191 Chrystie St, New York, NY, through December 17, 2017.