Regarding Honoré
by Judy Heimann
October 10th - November 8th, 2003

In the works of Regarding Honoré, painter Judy Heimann pays playful
but masterful homage
to eighteenth century French artist
Jean-Honoré Fragonard.
Fragonard (1732-1806),
the grand colorist of the rococo style, embraced themes of romantic love, mischievous pursuit,
and passion of idealized lives.
He would likely appreciate
Heimann's gentle tweaking
of his wonderful and seemingly excessive paintings.

A man of his time
prior to the French Revolution,
Fragonard created
beautiful pastoral landscapes and juxtaposed human emotion
--obsessive turbulence or frivolity--
within controlled theatrical settings.
Was this a real world of
beautiful people living carefree lives,
or was Fragonard exposing the folly
of a lifestyle destined to disappear?
It is the satirical human content combined with the quality
of the visual form that demonstrates
Fragonard's brilliance.

Judy Heimann has combined progressive thought and action, and humor in her life and work. Trained formally first as a ballet,
then a modern dancer
as well as a visual artist,
her work is infused with deferential regard for the past,
intellectual curiosity and respect for the formal skills of painting and sculpture. Nurturing curiosity and
boldly experimenting with various media, styles and concept throughout her career led Heimann to this fearless and thoroughly delightful series of paintings honoring Fragonard.
Her affection for his work
is natural appreciation
for beautifully crafted, intelligently and humorously expressed relationships. Judy Heimann similarly shares the raucous joy of the incongruous.

Diane DiSalvo
October 2003