Pleasingly Repulsive
Faculty Mentor Name
Merrill Schleier
Additional Faculty Mentor Name
Jill Vasileff
Additional Faculty Mentor Name
Lucinda Kasser
Abstract/Artist Statement
The intent of this series of paintings is to demonstrate beauty within ugliness and ugliness within beauty. I explore the concept of beauty in depth and desire to more accurately determine my personal explanation of its existence by using the human body. I chose the body because I feel its simplistic exterior, significance in the history of art, and its universal qualities are the epitome of loveliness and beauty. Though I find it beautiful, it can also be perceived as grotesque and disturbing with the use of amplification, texture, and color. I aspire to capture the moment of transition; when the work shifts from recognizable to unrecognizable, realistic to unrealistic, ugly to beauty. A major influence for my work is Jenny Saville’s exaggerated and distorted depictions of women, which are often both monstrous and appealing. She shows the female body in an unconventional way that deflects the male gaze and shocks viewers. There is much intrigue, titillation, and mystery associated with this moment of converging, absolute opposites. The colors used in this series are low value, unpleasant, and inconsistent. I use newspaper to create heavy texture because it absorbs paint adequately and creates abstracted flesh when left exposed. Aside from its technical qualities, newspaper also has a conceptual meaning. It is an item that is consistently in transition and embodies daily, unanticipated beauty. Newspaper is malleable and gives realistic form to the body parts depicted in each painting. I hope viewers are able to identify with the human body, consider their personal definitions of beauty and ugliness, and experience the trepidation and uncertainty that surfaces in the works.
Location
Reynolds Gallery
Start Date
17-4-2013 6:00 PM
End Date
17-4-2013 8:00 PM
Pleasingly Repulsive
Reynolds Gallery
The intent of this series of paintings is to demonstrate beauty within ugliness and ugliness within beauty. I explore the concept of beauty in depth and desire to more accurately determine my personal explanation of its existence by using the human body. I chose the body because I feel its simplistic exterior, significance in the history of art, and its universal qualities are the epitome of loveliness and beauty. Though I find it beautiful, it can also be perceived as grotesque and disturbing with the use of amplification, texture, and color. I aspire to capture the moment of transition; when the work shifts from recognizable to unrecognizable, realistic to unrealistic, ugly to beauty. A major influence for my work is Jenny Saville’s exaggerated and distorted depictions of women, which are often both monstrous and appealing. She shows the female body in an unconventional way that deflects the male gaze and shocks viewers. There is much intrigue, titillation, and mystery associated with this moment of converging, absolute opposites. The colors used in this series are low value, unpleasant, and inconsistent. I use newspaper to create heavy texture because it absorbs paint adequately and creates abstracted flesh when left exposed. Aside from its technical qualities, newspaper also has a conceptual meaning. It is an item that is consistently in transition and embodies daily, unanticipated beauty. Newspaper is malleable and gives realistic form to the body parts depicted in each painting. I hope viewers are able to identify with the human body, consider their personal definitions of beauty and ugliness, and experience the trepidation and uncertainty that surfaces in the works.