South Capitol Skyscape: Julie Wolfe

Washington Project for the Arts presents South Capitol Skyscape, a public art project that brings artistic life to the South Capitol Street Corridor − an important gateway to the District of Columbia’s Monumental Core for tourists and residents alike.

The first artwork featured in WPA’s South Capitol Skyscape project is Julie Wolfe’s Meta 1 (2014). Wolfe’s Meta series began when the artist came across a box full of oversized images at a flea market in New York. Mostly comprising landscapes and waterscapes, the pictures were taken by a husband and wife who travelled the world, documenting towns and villages along the way. It was more than the subject matter that captured Wolfe’s attention, however. It was their unusual color—a washed out cast of yellows and greens—that caught her eye. Wolfe later discovered that the development process used in the 1970’s caused the red hues to fade more quickly over time. Hence, the unusual “retro” colors.

Wolfe began painting on top of the photographs and manipulating the surface with oil, turpentine, and sandpaper, making the shapes appear to float on the photograph to give a strange sense of spatial illusion.There are approximately 15 Meta paintings in the series that are now in various collections. Wolfe believes the photographic image from Meta 1 was most likely taken in Sweden. She felt that the work was well suited for the South Capitol Skyscape Project and its location on the Capitol Skyline Hotel as the photograph’s origin was based on world travel and exploration.

Programs:

Opening Reception
August 12, 2014, 6-8pm