House III 2015

Curator: Let’s discuss Jarik Jongman's 2015 oil painting, “House III.” It’s a fascinating piece that seemingly examines modern domesticity. Editor: My initial impression is one of isolation. The stark modern architecture almost feels…forbidding. What do you make of the color palette? Curator: The muted tones certainly contribute to the atmosphere. The almost ghostly luminescence makes the building seem disconnected from its surrounding landscape. We see a contemporary commentary here on modern ideals versus practical living conditions, even the purpose of architecture and urbanity itself. Editor: The texture is compelling; thick layers of paint give a raw, almost brutal quality to the otherwise clean lines of the building. This isn’t just an architectural study, it's also deeply engaged with the act of making itself. It almost looks like concrete, like the material manifestation of modernist planning itself is being put to task here. Curator: Absolutely, the very brushstrokes are expressive and add layers of meaning. Is the home a haven, or are the building and architecture imprisoning its residents in its clean, austere style? Is it about aspirations versus how these shapes dictate ways of life, even social and environmental considerations. Editor: And let's think about the support--oil paint on wood gives this additional richness of process here that further supports such observations of societal structure and building of meaning in its own materiality. Is Jongman critiquing the material excess inherent in the creation of such modern structures? Curator: That could well be; the social and material history certainly comes together in “House III”. Thanks for exploring these interpretations, it helps to position and open this work into a wider context. Editor: And likewise; it's helped me consider the act of building through a lens of both the tangible and symbolic and made visible through Jongman's choices of technique and means.