Paintings by Marcelle Reinecke
Marcelle Reinecke, a Philadelphia-based painter, presents In the Pines—a body of work inspired by the haunting Appalachian folk song of the same name. A patchwork tune with no single author, In the Pines exists in many forms, much like Reinecke’s layered narratives. The song’s spectral quality—its blend of mystery, menace, and Americana—echoes through the woodland scenes that unfold across her canvases.
“I’ve always been drawn to this song’s eerie beauty,” Reinecke shares. “It feels both nostalgic and unsettling. It mirrors the atmosphere I seek in my work—something between protection and exposure, like hiding in plain sight.”
Each painting in the series is a composite, stitched together from personal memories, art history fragments, and pop culture slivers. Reinecke’s influences span from the dramatic chiaroscuro of Caravaggio to the pulp sensibility of Rudy Nappi’s iconic Nancy Drew covers. She also embraces anemia—the peculiar longing for a past one never lived—as a guiding sentiment. Through this lens, Reinecke constructs imagined scenes of queer domesticity and leisure that feel like glimpses into a parallel past, both dreamlike and just out of reach.
In the Pines is on view at Monya Rowe Gallery through February 15th.
All images courtesy of Monya Rowe Gallery, NY.
