Awareness Post

Background:

I chose to research Jenny Saville who is a British artists and a member of the Young British Artists. She lives in Oxford, England and is known for her wild colors and giant drawings of nude women. I chose this artist because it is mix of contemporary art that is more colorful and figurative, as well as nude portraits that are more traditional.

Jenny Saville uses oil paints and generally draws obese women with gory details. She includes a deep connection to the anatomy of a human and mixes the grotesque details of flesh with the more realistic images. Because her art depicts women's imperfections, such as excess skin, drooping breasts, and weary eyes, it brings light to the human nature of women.

Saville uses expressionists techniques and takes inspiration from Fauvist and Abstract artists. She said that she got inspiration from Diego Velázquez's and Willem de Kooning's belief that “Flesh was the reason oil paint was invented”. She uses small brushstrokes to build up the painting and soften the image. She also uses a range of color to make the audience feel the power of the emotions she is portraying.

Artwork:

Rupture

2020

Acrylic and oil on linen

78 3/4 x 63 in.

This piece was part of Seville's show Elpis meaning hope which was taken from a Greek poet Hesiod. This figure represents someone who feels self conscious and is based on the idea that realism today can't lose itself to the acedemics.

Chasah

2020

oil on linen

78 3/4 x 63 in

Fulcrum

1999

oil on canvas

103 x 192 in

This painting depicts women held down by their weight, unable to get up. Saville painted this to contradict the idea of a perfect body and go against the harsh body norms. This piece differs from previous paintings as instead of depicting the ideal beauty of the figure, she shows its power. She also depicts its weakness and vulnerability to act as a balance.