Walking through Julia Jacquette’s exhibit in the Wellin Museum, it’s almost impossible to miss the artist’s fascination with contemporary advertisement.

One mural in particular, a pop art-esque of reflective pool water, caught my attention.

That’s from the JCrew article. I thought as I looked up,  a little embarrassed that I was able recognized the inspiration so quickly. And the Jcrew catalogue picture wasn’t the only one I recognized. There were bits and piece, close-ups of an ad featuring Matthew McConaughey and another painting pulled from a Dior perfume commercial.

I asked Jacquette what it was about advertisements that captured her attention with an answer already predicted in my mind…. “I’m attempting to critique advertisements, the unrealistic expectations of the glamour, and to deconstruct an image by focusing in on some specific detail.” I thought Jacquette would talk about critique. Her paintings were a way for her to point out how advertisements distort our perception of reality.

But my prediction was wrong. I was surprised when Jacquette responded that she falls prone to the swaying power of advertisements. She wants to travel to the couple’s resort. She wants to be as glamorous as the model in the Dior ad. Jacquette went on to explain that she admires ads and their fanaticism. Her art is not necessarily a critique but an homage.

I really liked the honesty of Jacquette’s answer. Sometime I find myself rolling my eyes at artists who are attempting to make a large critique on the ways of our current society. For me, it was refreshing to see that a talented artists can still appreciate what some may consider “low end” art such as catalogue ads. Jacquette is human just like us! I enjoyed hearing that she too can fall for improbable, such as perfume transforming the wearer into an image of elegance.