Artwork
Veronica
Veronica is a print by Jeremy Gardiner. It dates from 1987 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1987, Veronica is a print by British artist Jeremy Gardiner. It resides in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The work combines layered visual strategies to explore identity and perception, using contrasting textures and tones to divide the human face into two distinct realms—one abstracted, the other restrained.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a face bisected vertically: the upper portion is constructed from fragmented, earth-toned shapes suggesting a crude mask, while the lower half emerges as a softly rendered, pale visage with a barely there smile. This division evokes tension between constructed identity and authentic expression, hinting at psychological duality without prescribing a single interpretation.
Technique & Style
Gardiner employs mixed-media print methods to juxtapose rough, collage-like textures in the upper face with the smooth, linear precision of the lower.
Gardiner employs mixed-media print methods to juxtapose rough, collage-like textures in the upper face with the smooth, linear precision of the lower. The upper section uses layered greens, browns, and yellows to suggest materiality and decay; the lower section relies on subtle gradations and minimal line work, evoking traditional portraiture. The contrast is deliberate, emphasizing the interplay between abstraction and representation.
History & Provenance
Veronica entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection shortly after its creation in 1987. It is one of several prints by Gardiner from this period that engage with fragmented portraiture. The museum’s acquisition reflects institutional interest in late 20th-century British printmaking that challenges conventional notions of likeness and surface.
Context
Made during a time when British artists were re-examining identity through layered imagery, Veronica aligns with broader postmodern inquiries into the instability of the self. Gardiner’s use of print media—often associated with reproduction and multiplicity—reinforces themes of fragmentation, resonating with contemporary debates on authenticity and representation in visual culture.
Legacy
Veronica remains a representative example of Gardiner’s exploration of psychological and visual disjunction in print. While not widely exhibited, it continues to inform scholarly discussions on British printmaking of the 1980s, particularly in how artists used material contrast to interrogate the boundaries between the real and the constructed.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jeremy Gardiner made layered prints in the 1980s that blend flat color with crisp line work.
