investigations into the bifurcated nature of female self-image. “You don’t have to define it, that’s the thing about being a painter, you follow your instincts.”
     Yuskavage began her career as an artist creating work she described as demure and conservative; after a period of inertia following her debut show, she returned with a series of works in a notably disparate vein. ‘’People didn’t know what to think when they saw this work; they were like – where is this coming from? I was pretty happy not to make people comfortable, because for the first time I was extremely exhilarated by what I was doing. I would take what I knew, and find a way to turn it on its wrongness – and sort of try and make a wrong a right.”
     An intriguing feature of Yuskavage’s paintings are the almost ominous folkloric figures, lingering in the backdrop, almost translucently, seemingly passing judgment of the prurient activity at the fore – “The way they’re sort of de-materializing into the wall, and at the same time being aggressive, always staring back at you, was very off-putting.’’
     The paintings will undoubtedly continue rupture ambivalent natures – not excluding the artist herself. “It’s sort of like vertigo; not the fear of falling but the fear that you know you want to fall.’’

Lisa Yuskavage will be showing at David Zwirner through Nov. 5th.