Research Through Critical Reflection
How can figurative painting challenge traditional portrayals of gender expectations?
Throughout this essay, I will explore a selection of artists significant to my practice who challenge the masculine narratives we have been exposed to. Their work moves away from the male gaze, where historically, women have been represented as passive sexualised objects. This is achieved through their focus on painting their own personal lives. Painting, their network, friends, and families. Drawing heavily on the view that ‘we believe the personal is political’ (Brines. J and Mackie. S and Robinson. and Stevenson, 2016, P.4).
The first idea I will explore is the notion of artists portraying their subjects in their workspaces. Marie Bashkirtseff, in her diary, reflected ‘a women’s studio has never been painted’ (The collection, edited by Phaidon (2019) P.53). This reinforces the objectification of women within art, as women were not given space to create instead were seen as objects to be painted. Caroline Walker’s work is a point of influence, significantly her series: ‘Women’s Work’. I find this series both inviting and problematic. It highlights the ‘often unseen workforce, such as tailors and chambermaids’ (Stephen Friedman Gallery, 2020). The paintings depict women in intimate spaces, often working. However, she often portrays a specific kind of work, one outside of her narrative: creating portraits that make the subject appear exhausted instead of showcasing the individuals. Although Walker presents a crucial feminist issue within her practice by representing the often-unseen work of women, I fear her work feeds into the stealing of their story. This raises the question about using others’ images to explore feminist issues, is this problematic?
Caroline Walker, Gallery Gal, Oil on board, 55 x 45cm, 2016
Kate Kelly, Orla, conversations in the blue room, 184x247cm, 2022
In my piece Orla, I took great care in attempting to allow her personality to shine through. Instead of just painting her working, I painted her in her space, allowing her personality to dominate rather than her labour. This connected with my reflection on Valadon’s piece, ‘the blue room’. In Valadon’s self-portrait, she dominates the space with an air of intellect and confidence presenting a female gaze and a new approach to painting. In Katy Hessle’s words, ‘in control of her image and her life, epitomising the modern… women.’ (Hessle. K, 2022, p.134). This work subverts the traditional nude presentation of women: displaying herself as an intellectual, as shown through the symbolism of the books within the work. Using this device, I included the sewing machine within ‘Orla’.
Secondly, I am exploring how female artists have challenged the traditional portrayal of women, carving a space in which the subject of the painting can express their voice. Women often experience literal or metaphorical silencing. For example, throughout the 20th century, women were still being barred from entry to education and studying the nude male figure (Higgie, J. 2021, P.16).
Figurative painting has allowed for a reclaiming of this voice, and artists such as Soheila Sokhanvari have used their practice to achieve this. Sokhanvari’s paints portraits of women from Iran, striking back against legislation that banned them from acting, singing and dancing to ‘draw attention to their struggle’. (Bromwich. K, 2022) Sokhanvari represents fierce women with greyed skin in highly patterned spaces, within the exhibition ‘Rebel Rebel’, utilising the physical voice throughout the show, with song’s playing from Iranian singers as you moved through the space. Therefore, while the narratives of others were simply represented, Sokhanvari’s combination of sound, video and painting humanised these forgotten women.
In comparison, Amy Sherald, despite being a figurative painter, has been described by the national museum of women in the arts as an ‘autobiographical painter.’ (National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2023) Sherald edits the people that she paints through the greying of their skin to challenge racism. This seeks to call attention to a debate but, in doing so, possibly takes the voice from her subjects, something I am aiming to achieve.
Amy Sherald 'She Always Believed The Good About Those She Loved', oil on canvas, 2018.
In contrast, I have been directly inspired by artist Alice Neel, who has said that within her work, ‘people come first.’ (Hoban. P,2021, P221) In my series ‘conversations with friends’, I attempted to capture authentic moments of conversation between my own friends. I want their personalities to shine through, utilising their unique expressions and body language, drawing attention to their gestures, such as in my portrayal of ‘Ella’. Similar to Sherald and Sokhanvari, I have experimented with editing and changing the natural skin tones of my subjects. In ‘Ella’ the underpainting remains visible on her face, meanwhile I have layered up paint on the hands. This allowed me to explore notions surrounding identity and the importance of humanising the person I am depicting. By experimenting with skin tones and elongating bodily features, I have been exploring if I can paint women to push a feminist narrative while keeping the subject’s personality.
Kate Kelly, Ella, Sitting in Yellow - Conversations with Friends, 100x90cm, Oil on Canvas, 2022
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Alice Neel, Linda Nochlin and Daisy, Oil on Canvas, 1973
Chantal Joffe, Self Portrait Pregnant 2 (2004)
However, figurative painting allows us to break down this historical ‘gatekeeping’ (Hessle. K, 2022, P.11) through the growth of women portraying women. Joffe’s painting ‘self-portrait pregnant 2’, presented motherhood to us, not as a restriction as highlighted by Sewell but as a part of life: something previously absent from galleries. The Guerrilla Girls support this idea of the importance of representation, ‘You’re seeing less than half the picture without the vision of women artists and artists of colour’ (Tate, Guerrilla Girls, 1989). The importance of women’s narrative can be seen through the recent Venice Biennale, where of 213 artists, only 21 were men. (Cumming. L, 2022) In this show Paula Rego’s Oratorio’, portrays images of women committing atrocities like Goya ‘horrors of war’. This directly challenges notions of what is viewed as feminine in a prestigious space, causing the audience to confront their preconceived notions.
However, figurative painting allows us to break down this historical ‘gatekeeping’ (Hessle. K, 2022, P.11) through the growth of women portraying women. Joffe’s painting ‘self-portrait pregnant 2’, presented motherhood to us, not as a restriction as highlighted by Sewell but as a part of life: something previously absent from galleries. The Guerrilla Girls support this idea of the importance of representation, ‘You’re seeing less than half the picture without the vision of women artists and artists of colour’ (Tate, Guerrilla Girls, 1989). The importance of women’s narrative can be seen through the recent Venice Biennale, where of 213 artists, only 21 were men. (Cumming. L, 2022) In this show Paula Rego’s Oratorio’, portrays images of women committing atrocities like Goya ‘horrors of war’. This directly challenges notions of what is viewed as feminine in a prestigious space, causing the audience to confront their preconceived notions.
Guerrilla Girls, Screenprint on paper, 430 × 560 mm, 1989
Through this essay, I have shown how figurative painting allows us to challenge the traditional portrayal of gender expectations and how women have taken control of their own narrative. When women paint women in their spaces and at work, they encourage a more rounded view of the female experience through a female gaze. Moving forward within my own practice, I need to understand what representation means to me and who is dominating the conversation, and how I want to control that conversation.
Francisco Goya, Plate 4: Las mujeres dan valor (The women are courageous). A struggle between civilians and soldiers, 1810 and 1820
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