Additional information
| Artist | Jennifer Smith |
|---|---|
| Medium | Oil, Acrylic and Ink on Canvas |
| Year | 2020 |
| Dimensions | 80cm x 120cm |
Venus With a Mirror
Venus with a mirror is from Jennifers current and ongoing series of work titled Methodology. For the first time Jennifer has introduced symbolism into her work. The reference of mythological characters add meaning to the paintings.
Based on the painting Venus in front of the mirror by Diego Velazquez, the focus of the work is on the female gaze. Venus, the goddess of love, was the most beautiful goddess of the ancient world and was considered a personification of female beauty. Playing with abstraction and layering of paint the reflection in the mirror hints at showing the artist. The artist is in control of this image. This is an important question Jennifer asks through the paintings- who is in control of the image? Jennifer is interested in the power of a female artist painting the female nude. When looking at the female nude in art we often reflect on the age-old male gaze and look at the female nude as a sexualised and fetishized object, from the perception of the male artist and viewer. However, how does a female artist change our interpretation? how regularly do we question the artist? Is a female nude created by a male artist and a female artist inherently different? Are we able to differentiate the female nudes seen through a male artist’s eye, in comparison to a female’s. What kind of power does this reclaiming of the figure give to a female artist and what kind of freedom of expression does it allow for.
The subtle and representation of the bull is a comment of the ever consuming male gaze that has dominated most representations of the female body in art history. The bull also represents Zeus, a womanizer who had a lust for women.
Description
Venus with a mirror is from Jennifers current and ongoing series of work titled Methodology. For the first time Jennifer has introduced symbolism into her work. The reference of mythological characters add meaning to the paintings.
Based on the painting Venus in front of the mirror by Diego Velazquez, the focus of the work is on the female gaze. Venus, the goddess of love, was the most beautiful goddess of the ancient world and was considered a personification of female beauty. Playing with abstraction and layering of paint the reflection in the mirror hints at showing the artist. The artist is in control of this image. This is an important question Jennifer asks through the paintings- who is in control of the image? Jennifer is interested in the power of a female artist painting the female nude. When looking at the female nude in art we often reflect on the age-old male gaze and look at the female nude as a sexualised and fetishized object, from the perception of the male artist and viewer. However, how does a female artist change our interpretation? how regularly do we question the artist? Is a female nude created by a male artist and a female artist ineherently different? Are we able to differentiate the female nudes seen through a male artist’s eye, in comparison to a female’s. What kind of power does this reclaiming of the figure give to a female artist and what kind of freedom of expression does it allow for.
The subtle and representation of the bull is a comment of the ever consuming male gaze that has dominated most representations of the female body in art history. The bull also represents Zeus, a womanizer who had a lust for women.
