Cascilla

Valerie Jaudon, American

1979

Oil on canvas

Saint Louis Art Museum

A geometric pattern in shades of coral and beige fills the frame. The design features interlocking lines and curves that create a sense of symmetry and repetition. Spanning this entire painting, a symmetric pattern of interlocking forms in salmon pink is outlined by exposed canvas. Valerie Jaudon’s paintings evoke the motifs and embellishments of wallpaper, upholstery textiles, and decorative arts often associated with notions of femininity. Jaudon’s work recontextualizes and highlights such intricate forms, challenging long-held perceptions of their inferiority when compared with fine art, in particular the history of abstract painting. Her compositions are derived from systems of simple, repeated forms that are combined differently to create visually complex images with few colors. Gift of J