Valerie Hegarty and the Decay of Paintings

Valerie Hegarty is an artist from New York whose specialty made her known in the world of contemporary art, thanks to its peculiarity. Her work can be summed up in one word: destruction.

Her work appears in decay, with parts of it coming out of the canvas or birds attacking the artwork, but despite the often dark appearance, its decomposition for some people might look as a representation of rebirth instead of decadence, especially in works where the branches of a tree seem to grow, and appear as an hint of hope in a destructive scenario.

Tragedies like earthquakes, floods, fire and bombs destroy the traditional paintings, often masterpieces of american art, and our eyes start to see them under a new perspective, while acquiring a different meaning.

Other messages included in her art touch a more topical theme, like 'Watermelon Tongue', where the watermelon that leaves the canvas represents a critique to how in China the fruits gets sprayed on products to accelerate the growth, especially internally.

While other pieces show still life from other centuries, capturing a particular beauty in their falling apart.
About her decision of exploring decay in her art, she says: "I was initially interested in the idea of deconstruction with decay and damage as a means to an end. It's a representational device to deconstruct a painting, and the aesthetics of decay become a formal way to abstract a representational painting.

I like the layering of meaning and the multiple narratives that occur. I'm not really interested in the fetishization of decay. Decay in my work is a way to talk about the breakdown of ideas that are no longer working."