Jordan Eagles Makes Bloody Good Art

By artefuse On 09/11/2012 · Leave a Comment · In New York

HF1HR (2012) by Jordan Eagles

Artist, Jordan Eagles

Blood is the life giving liquid coursing in streams throughout our system. The need for it sustains life while the loss of it could mean death. Artists have always languished on this idea and incorporated blood (human or animal) into their work. However, it takes a whole different execution to present blood as a rich, dynamic and seductive medium. Arte Fuse attended the opening last September 5^th at Krause Gallery on Orchard Street for Jordan Eagles solo exhibition “HEMOFIELDS”. And it is “BLOODY” well made and worth dying to see.

The "real" Gallery Girls of the Lower East Side

HF4 (2012) by Jordan Eagles

Eagles presented in this new series a very revolutionary treatment of blood with its textural and color values resulting from its reaction during the resin’s curing process. You might think next, what kind of blood is it? Did he use his own? Based on the scale and intense use of the sacrosanct liquid that it had to be taken not from the artist himself. Otherwise, there’s no way he’d be standing around and talking about the process of his work to AF. Cattle blood from slaughterhouses is what Eagles used for this series. He layered them between Plexiglas and the natural material is preserved by multi-layers of resin. The various depth levels and intensity is achieved by having different curing periods of certain sections of the pieces. Some areas look very fluid and others more hardened. Another technique is stretching layers of blood soaked gauze strips over black acrylic boxes and the light illuminating the surface of its copper backing glimmer with a lustrous palette of orange, crimson, red, brown and black. The substantially constructed art pieces contained these into very seductive images of abstract forms, biomorphic compositions or dark minimalist subtly patterned oeuvres that are striking yet harnessed by elegant restraint. In the ingenious manipulation of Eagles that every piece is luxurious but humming with such dynamic electricity that it is indeed crackling with life.

(L - R) Benjamin Krause with Jordan Eagles

More Art at the lower level in Krause Gallery

Using blood in itself is cause for speculation that it is done out of a sensationalistic intent but in this case that Eagles proved he just used it like any artist would if it were oil or acrylic paint. In human physiology and in art, the opposing forces of life and death are intensely battling for supremacy. It takes an audacious artist to calm the nature of the beast, appease both sides and come out with a well balanced picture that makes one’s blood flow to pump abject wonder into the heart. Then the mind asks: How can it look so bloody fine?