SWATCHES, MATISSE 1–9 | ELAINE REICHEK
Elaine Reichek is a New York-based artist active since the 1970s. What specifically characterizes her work is the exploration and combination of traditionally domestic manual activities with artistic practice, endowing them with equal dignity.
Swatches, Matisse 1–9 (2007) is an artwork composed of nine canvas squares hung on the wall in a 3×3 grid, each square representing a single ‘swatch,’ as the title suggests. Digitally embroidered patches are applied at the center of each square. Digital embroidery yields a denser and more precise result, allowing the artist to produce a series of artworks that are faithfully similar to each other. Reichek’s work thus appears as a sort of sampler, conveying an idea of cataloging.
The subject of the embroidery is the same in all nine versions: a reproduction of Henri Matisse’s famous artwork Blue Nudes, reinterpreted by Reichek in different color combinations. A distinctive detail of this central image is the zig-zag border.
In Swatches, Matisse 1–9, the choice of color combinations references the practice of Sol LeWitt, an American artist who emerged in the 1960s as a leading figure of conceptual art and minimalism.
Reichek’s practice is rich in references, almost quotations, from the work of other artists, but it is wrong to consider it a merely appropriation; rather, it is a reinterpretation, adapted according to a precise style and thus enriched with meaning, in a consistently and meticulously way for each new artwork.
Reichek’s choice was precisely to look at male artists, protagonists of art history, and their iconic works, associating them with a language historically attributed to the feminine figure, namely embroidery. This operation is not a simple academic exercise, but a concrete feminist and subversive vision towards an art system that historically favored only one gender, the male.
Elaine Reichek
Swatches, Matisse 1–9, 2007
Digital embroidery on linen, each unit 30.5 x 25.4 cm (12 x 10 in), overall 104.1 x 88.9 cm (41 x 35 in).
Courtesy the artist; Marinaro, New York; and Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles. Photograph by Paul Kennedy.
Elaine Reichek, Un petit salon après Matisse, 2022. Installation view from MATERIAL GIRL, Marinaro, New York, 2022. With (left to right): Swatches, Matisse Leaves 1–9, 2006 (8 units), and Swatches, Matisse 1–9, 2007.
Installation with carpet, vintage Victorian parlor chairs, tambour table, ceramic vase, plant stand, monstera deliciosa and pothos plants, limes and lemons, hinged window sash units, and digital embroideries on linen. Dimensions variable.
Photograph by Matt Grubb. Courtesy the artist, and Marinaro, New York.
11/05/24