Ally Sutton's 'Figure In Color'

The painting Udney Maria Blakeley (1830), by Thomas Sully, was the first painting that came to mind when assigned the project: the painting has fascinated me both as a child and an adult due to the beauty of both the woman in the painting, but also from my deeper understanding of art now. Thomas Sully used the wet medium of oil on canvas, and included the woman in the foreground of the painting holding a rose in a vase in her right hand. There is a deep contrast between the women dressed in a white gown, and the darker background of the painting. Due to the highlighting along the left side of her face, and the shadowing on the right, it can be assumed that she is facing, or even looking straight at the

A close look at this work of artistry, the design is the anatomy of a triangle and closely resembles a woman’s private area, the genitalia. That existence said, for way too long woman was meant to marry, have children, be a woman of the house, and adopt their husband’s rules. Clearly this would be a case of stereotyping.

The woman painted is sitting in what seems to be a domestic setting. However, unlike many other painted black women in the Enlightenment, she is seated alone. She is not depicted serving a white woman or doing any labour. The white cloths wrapped around her head and body along with the light background creates a dramatic contrast between the light colours and her dark skin. Her breast is exposed, but she is not sexualized like in many paintings of white women of the period. Despite her less-than-modest exposure, the woman does not show any signs of embarrassment. She is not blushing and her gaze is fixed on the viewer in neither a demure nor passionate way. In fact, she seems nonchalant about her exposure.

However, the presenting of bias is fitting and does not affect the overall quality of the essay, seeing that her targeted audience is mostly women, she anticipate them to share similar viewpoints on the topic as her. Irrefutably, she specifically state, “That's one of many reasons why I and other women of my generation grew up believing -as many girls still do- that the most important thing about a female body is not what it does but how it looks. The power lies not within us but in the gaze of the observer” (Steinem 340). The author is trying to explain that women everywhere can relate to the fact that it is not about how good they are at something, it is more about their body display, and if they do not have the right face or figure essentially, they do not stand a chance between others who do. In other words, women understand the predominating ideas that are placed on them regarding how they should look or act.

Even after all the trouble women go through to look according to society’s norms, people still catch every small thing that is not perfect to society. According to Lois Tyson, “she is objectified…defined only by her difference from male norms and values, defined by what she (allegedly) lacks…” (92). Women are unmistakably different from men biologically; so why is it such a shock when she has a small part of her skin showing, just because it is her breast or any other ‘forbidden’ areas? If a woman shows her butt cheeks it is disgraceful, but if a man shows his butt cheeks, it is hot. It is the same body part just of difference sexes, yet society has labeled it differently for each sex. Women objectification should not be seen as her fault, because like every woman around her, she is doing what she has to to stay comfortable.

Also, collaged images of woman 's genitalia were cut out and spaced all around the portrait. The spaces were carefully used to show that the collages were floating around the woman. The artist used overlapping technique to show certain collage cut-out appear closer to the viewer. He pasted some collage over and some behind the woman that you could see through with the overlapping. The collage images were abstract that you could barely tell that they were buttocks until you zoom in and see them close up.

The portrait is displayed horizontally with a gold trimmed frame. The subject is a female that looks to be in her early 20’s sitting upright on a large brown chair. If the viewer travels up the painting the first indication of the woman’s class is her satin, blue dress. The saturated blue shines and falls in the light like water. Paired with the dress are her exceptionally detailed endings to her sleeves. The lace is even painted as though it is translucent, allowing a little of the blue dress to show through the sleeve. Flowers throughout history have symbolized innocence of a woman and her virginity. The repeating theme of flowers, in the sleeve cuffs and ribbon) in the woman’s attired suggests her purity or innocent nature. Another very details section of the painting includes the corset/torso details. The sewing suggests texture in the torso with small beading in between. Towards the top of the chest in the center, the female seems to bear an extravagant, ribbon piece with a tear drop bead in the center. The light pink

The untitled painting by Riley Samels, a young artist in Ohio, truly sends a powerful message relating to the struggles women around the world face. The painting reflects the way women are treated and how they are expected to behave. The painting is headshot of a woman wearing a bright and bold red niqab; a veil worn by muslim women. At first glance, the observer would assume the artist was simply painting a portrait of a muslim woman. However, when looking closely, you realize the artist camouflaged hands as a niqab.

Body image has always been a huge part for women in their lives. In the beginning of the essay Bordo gives a great opening with a good description that open your eyes. She speaks about how a young girl standing in the mirror who thinks she is fat when in actuality she is the right size according to her doctor’s chart. The young lady only thinks she fat because of what she sees on TV and how actress, singers, and artist’s bodies looks. With the media it has people thinking

The artwork is a realistic portrait of a women. It is abstracted with asymmetrical balance with exotic and vibrant colors. As if the women is sitting in the corner with two

The eyelevel angle represents equality. Showing the ideas that we are all the same, regardless of age, gender, religion, and looks. With the use of a close up shot size as well, it gives emphasis on her facial expression. Her facial expression is as if she is hiding her true feelings on this issue as she is so use to everyday harassment and inequality that she faces. The close up expressions can help persuade an audience to accept a particular point of view, such as equality within gender rights. This photograph shows the face of a young lady who wears a traditional headscarf known as a hijab, with a blank look, with eyes staring straight into the camera lens creating a serious look. These visual conventions are creating an empathetic feeling with the use of the Google search bar, as it shows popular and common nasty searches about women. With this technique creating the idea that we are in need of gender equality and we need to stop the way certain men are behaving and feeling towards women in such a

towards her body does not need any viewers’ definition. From disguising and performing, she conveys the aspiration of merging herself with the mother-like

Much like plenty of Man Ray’s work was aggravated with his yearning to construct a short-lived upset in the audience that would detain sane contemplation process and evoke a fresh way of encountering the image. In this particular piece, we are confronted with the uncomfortable juxtaposition of hands, feet, and buttocks. He succeeds in setting up psychological challenges, where the woman is seen doubled over her rear. She screens her nether parts with her fingers, sprouting between feet and cheeks. The light contrast of the image exudes simplicity in the image that welcomes the viewer because one is never quit sure of what you are viewing until one focuses in. The highly illuminated part of the image is the buttocks, hands, and feet of the woman in the prayer position. Almost as if there was a spotlight on that specific part and in the background you notice a piece of furniture but only the leg of what seems to be a chair. The woman is anonymous because we don’t see absolutely anything that it’s a specific

The artwork is called Reclining Nude by Jean-Antoine Watteau and I found this artwork in the Norton Simon Museum. I was captivated by the sensuality and the delicacy in the painting. I first noticed in the painting was her robust ivory figure contrasting with the dark chocolate background because I felt that these contrasting colors evoked a sense of purity and light against the mysterious darkness. She seems to have turned around and noticed something. Perhaps someone just entered the room and surprised her or she could have been waiting for her lover. I also noticed that in this painting, that there are only three objects: the bed, the girl, and the dark

Hatoum’s body is transformed from a recognisable human beings body into an “unfamiliar and soulless territory” (Adolph, 2004, p.48) In religious culture the unrecognisable body is completely abject because it signifies the opposite of the spiritual. The disfigured body is a religious abomination. The female body can be looked at in two ways in relation the abject as inside/outside. It can be looked at in relation to God’s will and to the desire of the flesh. Here Hatoum magnifies the evil inside of the female body and viewer becomes it’s prisoner. “The definition of sin/abjection as something which comes from within opens up the way to position woman as deceptively treacherous. She may appear pure and beautiful on the outside but evil may, nevertheless, reside within.” (Creed, 1993, p.42) The viewer stands staring down into the abyss of her body that dangerously hints at eating them up.In Christian art hell is often depicted as a womb ”a lurid and rotting uterus where sinners were perpetually tortured for their crimes.” (Miles, 1989, p.147) Denoting that of the Monstrous feminine, the piece can been seen to represent the fears of a patriarchal society. By reclaiming and re appropriating this religious image of women, Hatoum subverts and challenges this patriarchal society and its socially constructed gender. Claiming it