Biographical Information

Jenness Cortez
American 1944

Jenness Cortez first achieved widespread recognition during the 1980's with her paintings of racehorses, which she painted from first-hand viewings at Saratoga Racetrack, New York. From her rural Averill Park studio situated between the foothills of the Berkshires and the shadow of the Catskills, American painter and printmaker Jenness Cortez, dedicated much of her creative energy to capturing the essence of August in Saratoga. She is a realist in approach, but her images of the sport of kings have been filtered through "the mind's eye." From there she moved on to painting landscapes, still lifes and figurative works, which drew the interest of such well-known collectors as Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton and Queen Elizabeth II. She is a realist in approach, gaining much of her experience early on as an editorial illustrator. Like Stubbs, Homer and Remington, Cortez is first and foremost a draftsman.

Although best known for her paintings of thoroughbred horses, she has a solid fine arts background and has painted a wide variety of subjects for many years. Her sensitive work with the human figure is superb and her landscapes are deeply moving representations of the phenomenal world.

Born in Frankfort, Indiana, Jenness Cortez began her formal art studies at age 16 under the guidance of noted Dutch painter Antonius Raemaekers. She graduated from the Herron School of Art in Indianapolis and attended the Art Students League of New York.

Like Alfred Munnings, Winslow Homer and Frederic Remington, Cortez had a sturdy (four-year) apprenticeship as an editorial illustrator. Like Stubbs, she is first and foremost an excellent draftsman. She has won international acclaim for her depiction of man's relationship with the horse.

Following art school, her formative years were spent in Albany, New York working as an editorial and commercial illustrator for "The Washington Park Spirit" a biweekly community newspaper.

In 1974, Miss Cortez was commissioned by the New York State Museum to create five original paintings depicting rare and endangered species of the Adirondack Mountains. These paintings are now part of the permanent collection of the museum.

In 1976, Miss Cortez was commissioned by the New York State Bicentennial Commission to create various works of art in furtherance of the state's year-long Bicentennial celebration.

Throughout the decade of the 1980's, Miss Cortez became one or the most sought after thoroughbred portraitures in the country. Jenness Cortez is no mere horse painter, as her landscapes, human and wildlife portraits reveal. If Cortez' specialty has been capturing the essence of the sport of kings, her lasting success lies in her ability to transcend the strict boundaries of "equine" art to become a leading proponent of a new Saratoga regionalism.

Because of the unmistakable Cortez style, "A signature is hardly necessary," wrote former Capital Newspaper executive arts editor Fred LeBrun. "The distinctive illuminated highlights, use of color and a particular illustrator's hand, speak as loudly as the little 'Cortez' in the corner."