NT
femme research
There are many artists that have acted as inspiration for my current project - 'Femme'. Each of these artists are women who have acted to empower woman, and may have even created controversy in the art world. I wish to use similar ideas within my project to create effective work and encourage the celebration of the modern day female.
MARILYN
MINTER
Artemisia Gentileschi
As part of my project I am focusing on women empowerment. All of my inspiration comes from women who have made controversial leaps and bounds within art. Artemisia Gentileschi was a classical Italian Baroque painter who lead the way for female artists. She created her pieces in an era where it was unknown for women to be successful in the arts and was widely unaccepted by the creative community. Despite this controversy, Gentileschi was the first female painter to be accepted into the Accademia di Arte del Disegno.
​
Many of Gentileschi's most famous works where inspired by her unhappy life as a married woman. She drew inspiration from powerful female figures in history and mythology such as Cleopatra and Judith. The brutal nature of her paintings was very jarring and mostly featured female protagonists. Her first dated piece 'Susanna and the Elders' features a women accused of adultery being tormented by two men, which was painted from a section of the bible. Her ability to create such realistic, powerful pieces in a time dominated by men, despite the backlashed she received, is why Gentileschi was such a famed artist.
​
Artemisia Gentileschi inspired my project as the scenes within her works and the powerful nature of the women she portrayed is something I wish to recreate within my project. I believe that the power of women is greatly undermined, even to this day and is something I want to shine a light on, similar to how Gentileschi did in her age. I admire the way her works were rather strong and brutal, yet the woman within them are still soft and feminine. Focusing on the women in my life, I want to expose the strength AND beauty of the female body.
​
Marilyn Minter
Marilyn Minter is a contemporary artist who uses erotic, hard core images in her exhibitions that represent women and their bodies. These images were used to tackle more modern, political and social issues, at a time of political correctness and media related body standards. In 2005, Minter presented a solo exhibition which focused on close up photography and photo-realistic paintings of seemingly glamourous women. These images lead a series of works that were quite taboo as they featured a lot of lesser talked about features or 'flaws' of the female body, such as acne, body hair and worn heels. These feminist works demand the viewers close attention as they are almost the complete opposite to the way women are represented in the beauty industry and popular media, which is unnatural and more pleasing to the eye.
​
I admire Minters work a lot for the harsh, yet real imagery and her views on the modern social standards. I want to explore and maybe include these views in my project as they are something I believe in too and the raw femininity of her subjects are extremely empowering to me. I will feel successful in my work if it can be as powerful as Marilyn Minters exhibition pieces.
Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt is one of the main artists I will use to inform my project. Her paintings, although old, feature timeless scenes of women within family life. The impressionist was yet another woman who made a difference in the male-dominant art period and exhibited alongside artists such as Edgar Degas in the 1800s. Many of these artists were people who had inspired Cassatt's use of brighter colour and softer lines, despite criticism from more realist painters and so to Cassatt this was a rewarding prospect.
Many of Cassatt's works focused on the bond between Mother and Daughter, which to some, is one of the most powerful bonds a human can have. This was inspired by her family upbringing and strong social standing which allowed her to learn how to be a good mother through school and her own family, who taught her skills such as cooking, sewing and most significantly, painting. Her paintings were often soft, pretty images of contemporary domestic life and for many women represented something very relatable and joyous. The sole inspirations for my project are my mother and grandmother, how they've raised me and the strength they've shown doing it. Although some of Cassatt's paintings may be dated or feature things I have not experienced exactly, I was drawn to them due to the love and affection within. I like the idea of modernising Cassatt's work to feature more relatable scenes for someone living in this century who would be able to recognise the situation and apply it to the women in their lives. Like many of the artists I have explored, Cassatt was unusually direct and truthful for her time, which is also something I'd like to achieve.
Georgia O'Keeffe
Unlike many of the artists I have explored, Georgia O'Keefe does not particularly feature women or focus on females to produce her work. However, I have decided to research her due to her success in the artistic community and her unique painting style. O'Keeffe is an American impressionist painter and was one of the first women painters to be publicly celebrated for her innovative works. Although there are many famous women painters from the 18th and 19th century, O'Keefe was one of the first to be praised by critics and accepted by everyone. She mainly focused on natural forms from a different perspective and her close up flower paintings are highly recognisable to the public. O'Keeffe caused unwanted controversy as many believe that the flowers were representative of female genitalia and were seemingly sexual pieces. This theory is something still believed by many to this day despite it being rejected by O'Keefe on a few occasions.
​
Although the subject of these pieces do not relate to my project, I sincerely admire O'Keefes blended colours and softer painting style. Personally, oils are one of my favourite mediums and in my pieces, I would like to use a blended, vibrant approach to utilise the paints to their full potential, in a similar way O'Keefe has.
​
Montana Kitching
I discovered Montana Kitching whilst researching the 'Shark Week' exhibition which was comprised of a range of artists who designed specific pieces of work based on alternative names for the menstrual period. I was particularly drawn to the fresh, contemporary aesthetic of Kitching's work and wanted to discover more of her pieces.
The reason I felt so drawn to her work, I believe, is because I am able to relate. The most powerful thing an artist can do is turn their struggles into something creative and bold. Kitching was living with body negativity, anxiety and a struggle with sexuality which she combined with her passion to speak out and encourage others to do the same. Kitching's issues are issues that are very similar to many adolescent and younger women's issues, and her work is highly important to raise awareness in this day and age. It was women artists like Kitching that initially made me want to focus on females for my project, and encouraged me to read up on some of the subjects of her pieces. If my work makes the audience think about life the way Kitching's does, I will have been successful.
​
​
Zhu Tian
Tian is an artist I was hesitant to include in my research as her work did not exactly inform my project. However, despite a direct link, I really enjoyed the pure controversy of Zhu Tians exhibition piece. The exhibition featured a pair of silicone, flesh coloured shoes, implanted with human hair. The aim of this piece was to desexualise shoes in an era where the fashion and beauty industry grows rapidly.
​
Julissa Lopez
Many people were shocked by this piece and found it disgusting and over the top. I was fascinated by this concept, and liked the buzz it was causing. In addition to this, I thought the motive was very empowering to women and that is why I chose to draw inspiration from this absurd piece.
​
