A Closer Look at Jarira By Sergei Isupov

One of the most asked about pieces in our Contemporary Figure exhibition is Jarira, by Sergei Isupov. The work is a beautiful subtle moment in a dynamic and complex exhibition.   Isupov created Jarira for the 2012 Ferrin Contemporary exhibit Covet along with a companion work, The Orchard. Covet tasked its participating artists with interpreting a work from a list of qualifying museum collections. Isupov selected A Young Daughter of the Picts by Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues c. 1585, from the Yale Center for British Art collection. Associate Head of Research at the Yale Center for British Art, Lisa L. Ford, explains "The drawing is a harmonious embodiment of Le Moyne’s two known subject areas, ethnological drawings and botanicals. The colorfully ornamented body of the young woman, with her high waist, full thighs, and long hair rippling in waves to her hips, evokes his drawings of the Timucuan women, who also tattooed their bodies through a process Le Moyne describes in his Florida observations. Her botanical tattoos, such as the cornflowers on her waist and wrists, and the heartsease on her waist, calves, and hips, also bear comparison with Le Moyne’s existing botanical illustrations. In addition, Le Moyne decorates her with species newly introduced to Western Europe, thus signaling his botanical sensibilities and knowledge, though rendering her slightly anachronistic." Isupov is known to juxtapose surprising narrative elements and exquisite surface treatments to create works that are puzzling and impactful. He does not shy away from contradiction and contrast, so perhaps the anachronism in the Le Moyne de Morgues picture was an attraction. Jarira's gaze, unlike A Young Daughter of the Picts, settles directly on the viewer. Her gossamer-green face is adorned with a botanical pattern that references the Young Daughter's tattoos. As with many of Isupov's works, there is a glaze painting on the underside of this piece: A man in a suit leaping towards a reclining nude woman. The Young Daughter is also nude, except for her waistband, neckpiece, and of course- the intricate botanical tattoos. She poses boldly with a spear, and a large sword affixed to her waistband. She is an enigma of courage and vulnerability--as is Jarira, gazing silently at the viewer as she conceals a passionate moment hidden below her beautifully adorned face.  The Orchard was exhibited at the Museum of Arts and Design Body & Soul exhibition September 24 - March 2, 2014. A Young Daughter of the Picts, ca.1585, Attributed to Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, watercolor and gouache, touched with gold on parchment, Sheet: 10 1/4 × 7 3/8 inches (26 × 18.7 cm) Sergei Isupov, “The Orchard” 2012, porcelain, slip, glaze, 20.5 x 14 x 7.5″, photo by John Polak, courtesy of Ferrin Contemporary