Critical Reflection
In unit 2, I have gradually made strides in establishing an effective methodology for my artistic practice. I continue to draw inspiration from films, often from specific still frames that echo my innermost experiences. I save them, juxtapose them with my personal history, crop or reconstruct them, and then paint them.
Upon reflecting on these creations, I have come to acknowledge undeniable facts and inclinations — the majority of my depictions are imbued with desire and carry implicit sensual undertones; the female form consistently exists, with their faces concealed. While my selection of imagery has been intuitive and spontaneous, the gradual emergence of these tendencies forces me to question my stance and my perspective. What role do I occupy? What is the underlying essence of my vision? As I portray these sensual and desire-laden scenes, what am I truly seeking to convey?
Eroticism
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As I struggle through reading Georges Bataille's Eroticism, he proposes that the arousal of desire stems from a sense of mourning and a deep-seated longing for a profound coherence to replace our inherent disjointedness as individuals:
'We are fragmented beings, individuals pushed towards death within the incomprehensibility of chance, deeply sorrowful for the loss of coherence. We struggle to bear our contingency and the inevitability of our mortality. Anxious for a lasting existence, we find ourselves entangled in the primordial unity that connects us with existence itself... This sense of mourning can trigger three forms of eroticism in all individuals... The key to these three forms always lies in replacing the isolation of existence with a profound sense of coherence, substituting the inherent disjointedness of existence itself.'(Translated from the Chinese Version.)(Bataille, 2018 p71)
Bataille's exploration of the relationship between eroticism and the solitude of existence resonates deeply with unacknowledged sentiments within me. It accurately describes the profound motivation that drives my artistic practice, serving as a macroscopic backdrop for my creative journey, a foundational layer. However, this raises the question of what exactly these depictions of eroticism specifically denote on top of such an undercurrent.
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To address this, I explore the expressions of desire in the writings of novelist Milan Kundera. Jean-Dominique Brierre, in his biography on Kundera, describes his eroticism as 'seemingly condensed observations of humanity as a whole'(Jean-Dominique Brierre, 2021 p495)
Intricately linked to the exploration of self-discovery and personal identity
Implies liberation from societal norms and the attainment of individual freedom
Delves into the power dynamics and manipulation within relationships, illustrating how desire can be employed as a tool for exerting control
Furthermore, Kundera suggests that at times, sexual desire arises from the longing for something or someone that we cannot fully possess, thus pointing to the inevitable existential anxiety within humanity.
The allure of eroticism lies not merely in its superficial aesthetic appeal, but in its ability to unravel the layers of human desires and emotions that often remain concealed beneath the surface. The exploration of eroticism is intertwined with a profound and intricate examination of human nature, which is why I am so captivated by the themes of eroticism. What truly ignites my desire to create is not the beauty of nature or the bustling urban landscapes, but rather the fascinating grayscale of the human inner world – suspicious desires, vulnerable yearnings, the complexities and uncertainties of human nature…for it is there that I discover the delicate fragility that shapes our existence.
Additionally, in line with Milan Kundera's perspective,‘ sexuality and politics form the poles of human private and public life’(Jean-Dominique Brierre, 2021 p63). Within the extreme realm of human private life that I am intrigued by, moral judgments are suspended, and the exploration of human nature becomes more akin to examination rather than assertion. This is the second crucial reason why I am constantly examining human nature through the lens of desire.
Female Body
Starting with the orange artwork The Entwined from Unit 1, the female body has become a crucial vehicle for expressing themes of desire in my art. I crop them, removing their faces and focusing solely on their bodies or specific details, integrating them into my narrative. While not explicitly nude, it is undeniable that these bodies exude sensuality.
As a female artist depicting the female body, I have always carried a strong underlying anxiety, fearing that I might unconsciously invite the male gaze. Especially when these depictions do not deviate from traditional male aesthetics, I question whether it implies that I am subconsciously catering to male preferences and fantasies. (It feels like a form of politically correct entrapment.）
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All these concerns find resolution through the exploration of Lisa Brice's works. By reimagining female figures previously depicted by male artists, she liberates women from the roles of models and muses, reclaiming their bodies from the male gaze. To achieve this 'reclamation', she employs various techniques:
Utilizing bold colors to obscure naturalistic skin tones (her signature cobalt blue)
Inserting props like cigarettes or bottles of alcohol
tweak the slant of eyes or mouth
And more
Through these techniques, Brice transforms the figures from objects of objectification to subjects of self-possession, realism, or defiance. The women in her paintings remain sensual and dreamlike, but they do not carry the weight of the intense male gaze.
'Whether confronting viewers with a direct gaze or seemingly unaware of their presence, Brice's women stand as empowered figures driven by their own desires, rather than those of the spectator.' (Thaddaeus Ropac, 2023)
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With this newfound understanding, I reexamine the women in my own artwork, and suddenly a sense of relief washes over me. I realize that I have captured their strong sense of self-awareness. They are sensual, but they are also inherently human—fragile, provocative, confident, or lost…They accurately resonate with the themes I am interested in capturing—the moments when they immerse themselves in their own worlds or yearn for connection with others, the true essence of their inner worlds is revealed.
Fetishism
Phyllis Greenacre's definition of fetishism as "a non-genital object [used] as part of the sexual act without which gratification cannot be obtained”(Phyllis, 1953 p79) implies an imitation and illusionary nature inherent in fetishism. However, undoubtedly, Chasseguet-Smirgel's explanation is more intriguing and captivating:
Lying between life and death, animated and mechanic, hybrid creatures and creatures to which hubris gave birth, they all may be likened to fetishes. And, as fetishes, they give us, for a while, the feeling that a world not ruled by our common laws does exist, a marvellous and uncanny world.(Chasseguet-Smirgel, 1992 p88)
This explanation sheds light on the pervasive presence of fetishistic themes in modern art,, from Duchamp's Traveller's Folding Item to Meret Oppenheim's Object and Magritte's Philosophy in the Boudoir.
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For me, fetishism also seeps into my observations of daily life and artworks. I am intensely drawn to objects that seem simultaneously hostile and ideal, inhuman and erotic, cruelly destroyed yet reinvented, which instantly capture my gaze and often send shivers down my spine.
I have taken numerous photographs of discarded gloves, perceiving them as abandoned souls. Their material, color, and shape imply their individuality and self-awareness. In my paintings, gloves reappear, suggesting isolation, self-protection, mistrust, and the subject-object relationship. The initial allure of gloves lies in their ambiguity between living and lifeless entities. However, Greenacre's research lends gloves greater meaning. Based on clinical data, he states that 'the commonest fetish of all is the shoe’(Greenacre, 1969 p150), and ‘A glove, in German, is a Handschuh, that is, a shoe for the hand. Both gloves and shoes share another important quality—they contain and constrict parts of the body.’ As he explains, items that wrap and constrain epitomize the closeness to the mother, absolute bonding with or bondage to the phallic woman… Through my continuous exploration and understanding of gloves as cultural symbols, my artworks acquire new meanings.(Kuspit, 1988)
In my artistic practice, constructing fetishism originates from my meticulous portrayal of specific visual attributes of certain objects in the painting, emphasizing their unique qualities. This approach is inspired by observing Domenico Gnoli's artworks.
Gnoli's paintings peer into each detail of the painted object with maniacal precision; they not only probe the enigma of each portrayed thing, but search for the image of ourselves hidden among, say, a fold of cloth, or reflected in the obscure objects of desire that dominate his canvases.(Alemani, 2018)
While there is no explicit evidence indicating that his works point to fetishism, to me, his extreme focus on the texture of objects and his almost obsessive depiction of minute details seem to hint at an underlying obsession and seduction, evoking a feeling similar to fetishism.
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I incorporate this visually evocative "magic" that arouses desire into my artworks. In La dee dah, I concentrate on rendering the texture of the girl's leather pants, highlighting their sheen, creating a resonance similar to Donald Kuspit's interpretation of the luminosity in works by Rebecca Horn and Jeff Koons — their intense polish their most salient quality, making them vibrantly alert with a strange consciousness for all their inanimateness (Kuspit, 1988)—This quality resonates, to some extent, with the essence of fetishism.
Anonymity
I am always in search of ways to better align my artistic imagery with the themes I explore in my research. To convey the ambiguity and suspicion within the human inner world that I delve into, I aspire to strip individuals of their distinct identities and incorporate a stronger sense of anonymity in my artwork. By doing so, I aim to create an enigmatic atmosphere that alludes to a universal human experience.
When observing some specific paintings of Luc Tuymans, I am struck by the sense of anonymity they exude. The subjects' faces are sometimes obscured, blurred, or turned away, diminishing the importance of individual identity. Instead, viewers are guided to engage with the broader concepts and emotions conveyed in his works, transcending the fixation on personal details.
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In my artwork, I have chosen to crop or focus solely on specific parts of the human body, intentionally depriving the viewer of facial features, and implying the concealing of individual identity. This act of cropping or framing is my attempt to enhance the sense of anonymity and mystery within the composition. This technique allows the focus to shift towards the atmosphere as a whole and the narrative underlying the painting, as well as enabling viewers to project their interpretations and experiences onto my artwork.
References
1.Bataille, G. (2018) 色情. 南京: 南京大学出版社.
2.Jean-Dominique Brierre. (2021)米兰·昆德拉：一种作家人生.南京：南京大学出版社
3.Mehrez, L.B. and A. (2018) Q&A: Lisa Brice – tate etc, Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/tate-etc/issue-43-summer-2018/lisa-brice-art-now-interview-aicha-mehrez (Accessed: 23 May 2023).
4.Lisa Brice (no date) Thaddaeus Ropac. Available at: https://ropac.net/artists/255-lisa-brice/ (Accessed: 23 May 2023).
5.Kuspit, D. (1BC) The modern fetish, The online edition of Artforum International Magazine. Available at: https://www.artforum.com/print/198808/the-modern-fetish-34685 (Accessed: 23 May 2023).
6.Greenacre, P. (1953) ‘Certain relationships between fetishism and faulty development of the body image’, The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 8(1), pp. 79–98. doi:10.1080/00797308.1953.11822762.
7.Chasseguet-Smirgel, J. (1992) Creativity and perversion. London: Free Association Books.
8.Greenacre, P. (1969) ‘The Fetish and the transitional object’, The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 24(1), pp. 144–164. doi:10.1080/00797308.1969.11822690.
9.Greenacre, P. (1953) ‘Certain relationships between fetishism and faulty development of the body image’, The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 8(1), pp. 79–98. doi:10.1080/00797308.1953.11822762.
10.Alemani, C. (2018) Detail of a detail. Available at: http://kvadratinterwoven.com/detail-of-a-detail (Accessed: 23 May 2023).
Images
1. Georges Bataille, 色情, 2018
2. Jean-Dominique Brierre, 米兰·昆德拉：一种作家人生, 2021
3. Lisa Brice, Untitled, 2017
Gouache on Paper, 41.9×29.6 cm
4. Lisa Brice, Between This and That, 2017
Synthetic Tempera ('Flashe'), Gesso, and Ink on Canvas, 198 x 244 x 3.5 cm
5. Marcel Duchamp, Traveller's Folding Item, 1947
Oil On Canvas, 24 x 42.5 x 32 cm
6. Rene Magritte, Philosophy in the Boudoir, 1954
Oil on Canvas, 195 x 153 cm
7. Meret Oppenheim, Object, 1936
Fur-covered Cup, Saucer, and Spoon
8. Domenico Gnoli, Lady's Shoe, 1968
Acrylic Paint and Sand on Canvas, 131 × 163 cm
9. Luc Tuymans, Issei Sagawa, 2014
Oil on Canvas, 74.5 × 82.5 × 4.1 cm