HOMAGE TO THE CREATIVE SPIRIT the Paintings of Jenness Cortez

Her masterful work gives Cortez solid footing in the colorful lineage of artists who have appropriated vintage images and woven them into their own distinctive, recognizable fabric. Cortez reexamines the classic paradox of realism: the painting both as a “window” into an imagined space and as a physical object. Her work challenges the viewers’ intellectual curiosity and celebrates the sheer pleasure of beautiful painting. In her series of Homage paintings, Cortez plays author, architect, visual journalist, art historian, curator and pundit to help open our eyes to what we might otherwise have overlooked or taken for granted.

Each painting presents a specific theme, mixing straightforward cues and obscure allusions, complemented by references to other artists’ lives and times. By masterfully presenting iconic works of art in unexpected modern settings, Jenness Cortez inspires us to see differently––to rediscover and revalue our own creative power in everyday life. This volume surveys and celebrates the Homage to the Creative Spirit series in fifty-four examples that display the range and variety of Cortez’ achievement. A key to the impact and success of these paintings is the skill with which she achieves meticulous likenesses of everyday objects.