Artists Registry
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Artist's Statement
Statement of Work
ABOUT THE PAINTINGS
THE GEIST SERIES 1999-2001
TITLE: Geist: Ghost, Mind, Spirit / Premonitions
SIZE:
Series size: 17 paintings dated 1999
17 hand blown hourglasses, framed, filled with WTC dust
Dimensions: Paintings measuring 12 in. or 30.5 cm. square
Framed paintings: 12.875 in. or 32.7 cm. square
Framed hour glasses: 12.875 in. H x 5.375 In. x 1.25 in. D
32.8 cm. H x 13.65 cm. W x 3.17 cm. D
Paired together: 12.875 in. H x 18.125 in . W x 1.25 in. D
32.7 cm. H x 46 cm. W x 3. 17 cm. D
The pair is framed in two welded metal frames touching.
DESCRIPTION
The Geist Paintings were painted in 1999. the artist conceived of the image and
the idea from a dream. The intent of the artist in making these paintings, was to depict, in abstract terms, the physics of dematerialization of matter into spirit. These were painted in smooth shades of gray, burnished to have the texture of silk. Overlaying each of these paintings is a fine orthogonal line painted in opalescent white paint. Each painting is composed of open squares, sometimes overlapping one another and numbering between two and five ethereal objects.
PROVENANCE/CONTENT
The Geist Series was exhibited at the Robert Pardo Gallery in the Chelsea art
gallery district of New York City from November, 2001 to February, 2002. This
exhibition, entitled “Premonitions” included sculptures and paintings created by the artist between 1996 and 2001. The historical significance of these paintings was revealed by the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11th, 2001. The paintings, which are the color of the dust from the collapse, the overlapping plans of the buildings which were destroyed, plus the symbolic cross of lines which intersected each composition, revealed the foretelling of this tragedy. The content of this work, the dematerialization from matter into spirit transpired within eight and ten seconds as the South Tower, then the North Tower disintegrated into dust. The hour glasses, the model shape of which was sculpted by the artist, were fabricated by Deborah Czeresko at Urban Glass. Each hour glass holds remains of the tragedy, dust which fell upon the roof of the building viewed from the windows of the artist’s studio. These vessels serve as a reverent and personal memorial to all that was destroyed that day. In September, 2001, the artist lived and worked 700 feet – 200 meters from the site: “Ground Zero”. The hour glasses were fabricated in October, 2001.
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Jourdan Arpelle is an American artist currently living in New York City. Her studio is in the Financial District, near the New York Stock Exchange.
The artist did her graduate work at the University of Houston after being invited into the MFA program by the sculptor, James Surls. This invitation to study with him followed two years of post-baccalaureate work in Fine Arts at the University. At the time, the artist was completing eight commissioned works for Dallas Commerce Bank.
Her desire to learn more about sculpture inspired a research project on Contemporary British Sculptors. The work of Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, and Anthony Caro peaked her curiosity about new work in Britain in the 1980’s.
During her year abroad, while living in London and commuting to the University of Houston, she was offered a job by Max Hutchinson, to work in his SoHo gallery in New York City. These were her formative years as an artist where she had exposure to the New York art world, museums, collectors, critics, architects, and other artists.
While working on the dealer side of the art world, she learned and absorbed every nuance of the art business and the creative output of other artists, but did not make art herself. During this period, her accomplishments included being Curator of Carolee Schneemann’s first solo New York exhibition at the Max Hutchinson Gallery. She eventually opened her own private gallery in the Singer Building where she showed transformative and minimalist art.
The next phase of this artist was toward exploration in the spiritual and metaphysical studies which evolved out of her experience as a teacher of Technologies for Creating. The structure of this coursework laid a foundation to explore Eastern philosophies and meditation. It was through a meditative experience that she saw a vision which she knew she would paint. Indeed, two years later, she began serious work based on this vision, in her New York NoHo studio.
In 1998, Jourdan Arpelle was giver her first one-person show in Europe at the Stil American Fine Arts Gallery in Mettmann near Düsseldorf. In 1999, she exhibited her second European solo show at the Galerie Orms, the premier avant garde contemporary gallery in Innsbruck, Austria. Her first solo exhibition in New York was at the Robert Pardo Gallery in Chelsea in 2001. Jourdan Arpelle’s work is in numerous collections in Europe and America.