Yvonne and James: A Tribute to NYC
Hanging in the Time is Always Now exhibition, ‘Yvonne and James’ by Jordan Casteel shows what it means to be a New Yorker better than any movie ever could.
When I think of New York City, I think about the days I spent in Washington Square Park with my best friends. I think of the hectic atmosphere immediately felt after stepping foot outside of Penn Station. I think of commuting from my childhood home in Long Island to my first big-girl journalism job on 14th street. Above all, when I think of New York City, I think of the people. Standing in the National Portrait Gallery in London, thousands of miles away from my home in New York, in front of the painting ‘Yvonne and James’ by artist Jordan Casteel, I’m taken right back to the city that shaped so much of who I am.
‘Yvonne and James,’ depicts an elderly African American couple sitting in Harlem, holding hands. Casteel, the artist behind the painting, first photographed James, a spiffy elderly man, selling CDs outside of Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem. The vibrant oil painting Casteel then painted based on the photograph, simply entitled ‘James,’ inspired her to paint another portrait, this time of both James and his wife Yvonne. In both ‘James’ and ‘Yvonne and James,’ Casteel uses bold colors and pays close attention to details to fully encapsulate the spirit of not just the subjects but of the city itself.
Yvonne and James look both strong, full of grit and a tad hardened by their lives in Harlem while simultaneously looking welcoming, sympathetic and loving. Their winter outfits and beanies resembles the hip energy of the Harlem streets. Although they are strangers to me, they feel so familiar. Staring into their eyes, I’m reminded of my own grandparents who spent their whole lives living in Queens.
My late grandmother, who spent her childhood living in extreme poverty, had similar lines on her face to Yvonne. Lines that convey her struggles but also show the joys she’s had in life. Lines that show, although she’s been through a lot in her life, it’s her ability to show love and overcome adversity that defines her.
Casteel’s painting of Yvonne and James, as well as the solo painting of James, depicts New York City along with what it means to be a New Yorker better than any movie or television show could. On screen, New York City seems glamorous, a world inhabited by people with big dreams and bigger wallets. In the media only the Jordan Belfort’s or Paris Hilton’s of New York get highlighted, but in reality it’s the ordinary people, the ones who most often get overlooked, that make up the true spirit of the city.
New Yorkers bounce back when they’re torn down. They overcome hardship with resilience and a smile on their face. To be a New Yorker means to support your community, to have a hard exterior but to be welcoming, to constantly hustle but also know how to have a good time. To be a New Yorker means to sell CDs out of your car in front of your local restaurant during the day then return home to spend quality time with your wife, holding hands as you sit outside in style, watching others pass by on the street; peacefully taking in the chaos of the city.
