jennifer hawke, curatorial assistant, Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, Montana.
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About a year ago, Cory and I began to have conversations relating to the subjects of our artwork, of being artists, and of being women. We share similar struggles in our lives--promoting ourselves within the arts, issues of womanhood, and our relationship with contemporary feminism. We are of the generation that is caught between the radical changes brought on by the 1970s, and the new generation that refuses to call themselves feminists.
Jaeger thematically embraces her heroes, such as Judy Chicago and other strong feminist artists who have gone before her, and her style draws on the elements of the Surrealist tradition. Her figures float in and out of the framework, some not even touching the ground, emphasizing a dreamlike memory that surpasses reality. Details such as recurring images of flowers refer to the artist's presence in each of her works; from the dandelions and jonquils of her youth, to the roses of her more mature relationships.
Addressing today's gender issues is difficult subject matter. How can an artist recognize and honor the fact that men and women are different--biologically, emotionally, and cognitively? For example, in the painting Adonis of the High School Jocks, Jaeger turns the table on the classic female form. Unadorned but for a pair of sunglasses, this single male nude basks in his surroundings. His background is graced by a choir of cheerleaders, and his form is suspended on a cloud of white and red fabric. Referencing classical 16th Century painting, the subject is presented in a way that recreates the "popular kid" adoration that fills our early social years. In this nude and vulnerable state, we are reminded that this idol is, in fact, only human and has been placed upon a pedestal by us--his peers.
While containing touches of humor, these paintings are not meant to ridicule or judge. They gently nudge their subjects with allusions of tongue-in-cheek, while embracing a new understanding and compassion through the narratives of Cory's relationships. Through this series of autobiographical paintings, Jaeger has recontextualized her understanding of the male presence in her life.
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