On a table in Jerry Jordan’s East Side Madison studio you’ll find a big book collecting the work of John Singer Sargent. The American expatriate artist is best remembered for painting leading figures of Edwardian England where he lived and worked as well as Gilded Age Americans like John D. Rockefeller.
It might seem a strange choice for Jordan to have on hand. His figures typically are heroes from African American history like civil rights pioneer John Lewis, author James Baldwin and aviator Bessie Coleman. But it is the mix of heroic and human that both portrait painters have in common.
In his non-historical work, Jordan portrays his subjects–often his wife or children–with elements associated with heroic portraits: suits of armor, dress uniforms, swords. His work approaches something more like magical realism with figures standing in water to symbolize healing and memory and open fields that convey opportunity and freedom. The raised fist symbol of Black Power is frequently seen.
Recent commissions have sent Jordan in a new direction as an illustrator for children’s books on Ida B. Wells and John Lewis. He welcomes this opportunity to share the stories he didn’t hear growing up.
“When I was a kid, I was not exposed to this. I knew nothing about African American history.” Jordan said. “When I’m doing these paintings, I want the little kid, regardless of color, to look at it, get lost in the book.”
It’s easy to get lost in Jordan’s work, either in the warm, human depictions of Black heroes, or the fanciful landscapes that form the backdrop for his heroic depictions.
