Saturday, February 4, 2012

Threshold

Threshold, oil on panel, 64" x 48", 2012

As a figurative painter, it is pretty hard to avoid painting a female figure or two or twenty.  The nude is an essential component to the study of representing the human form.  Here is my most recent attempt.  

 detail - Threshold

At first, my intentions were admittedly simple.  I wanted to represent the female nude figure with dignity and respect.  There are so many images (including within my own oeuvre) that show women as objects of desire, as sexually available.  This has become a prevalent practice even or especially in advertising.  Let's face it, sex sells.  But aren't we capable of showing women as more than that?  Am I capable of reclaiming the female nude (please pardon the potentially dated feminist speak)?  Over the course of this painting I started to doubt the validity of my intentions.  Who am I reclaiming the nude female figure from?  Male artists?  Well sure, there are plenty of over sexed images of women painted by male artists of past and present - but so is true of female artists (again I am not discluding myself here).  Alternatively, there are also fantastically painted female nudes that ooze humanity, dignity and create empathy within the viewer, painted by some contemporary artists such as Daniel Sprick, Richard Maury or Catherine Prescott.  In the end, I'm not sure where this painting lands.  Is this a successful painting despite the vacillating ideas present between strokes?  If you hadn't read all this, would you more likely be questioning the validity of some woman walking to the porch in the buff?  Questions just raise more questions. 





8 comments:

  1. To me personally, someone who has nothing to do with the art world whatsoever, it means much more than humanity, dignity and empathy. It's the simply beauty and natural imperfections that are so human that make her so incredibly beautiful. It's the memory of my wife in a similar situation. It's her lips, almost in speech and I do wonder what she's saying. Why there is a table in front of the door? And why is the picture crooked behind her? These are rhetorical ?'s of course. I love this

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  2. I am certainly not anything but a very unartistic eye. This is a powerful work to me. It closely resembles a scene where most men have been. What gets me is her lips are in motion. Dignity and respect? I believe she has it. Humanity, yes of course, but why is the table in front of the door? Why is the picture crooked? What does her stance mean, and what is she saying? Empathy, that one I'm not so sure about. She looks like she knows exacly what she's doing. I love it.

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  3. I love this painting Alia. I struggle with the exact same feelings. Thank you for putting it so eloquently. I LOVE painting the human figure. Great job, Hope to cross paths soon... best always, Lea

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  4. Alia, I love your way of painting the nude and your thoughts behind it. Thank goodness she's NOT one of those ubiquitous nudes that make you wonder "why in heck is she standing THERE?" She looks quite natural standing on a threshold, with a question on her lips as if she's about to say something. It makes me wonder whether she is alone or whether there is someone else in the house. I start to imagine a scenario around her. Such an interesting painting!

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  5. Thanks for sharing these ideas. Thresholds are so powerful symbolically. It's beautiful, consider her reclaimed!

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  6. Wow, thank you all for taking the time to comment!

    Michael, I appreciate hearing a non artist's perspective. It helps to know how the work is being read by all it's potential viewers. Thank you for sharing the story you see in it!

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  7. Lea, I LOVE painting the figure as well and I Love how YOU paint the figure. I think the struggle we feel in honestly representing the human form adds to the work. I hope so at least.

    Alex, Terry and Eleanor, I very much am grateful for your thoughts shared here! Thank you for your continued cheers of support!!

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