pixi.bits

"about" image #3: untitled (train) by kiki smith

Time for a change. I've grown tired of looking at the Venus of Willendorf day after day. I'm glad to be moving on - though I did love your comments about her & the concept of Venus.

So, this latest "about" image is by Kiki Smith, a contemporary artist who lives and works in NYC. Much of her work focuses on the body, often highlighting the things many of us try so hard to hide, such as bodily functions and the effects of aging.

I've chosen to show just a portion of her sculpture, Untitled (train), on the main page of my blog. (Read this entire paragraph before you click the links with the expanded views.) The full sculpture is a figure of a woman rendered in white wax. She is slightly bent over, and several strands of dark red beads hang between her legs then spill out over the floor. As far as I know, the beads were meant to represent menstruation not miscarriage, but visually the effect is similar. And the impact can be strong either way, so I decided to give you the option of not viewing it.

I've liked Kiki Smith's work, ever since I discovered it in the early 90's. But after years of reproductive problems, I find myself connecting to it on a new level. My life is so much about my body - its parts, its products, its functions. And while the theme of this piece might not be an uplifting one, I tend to find comfort in art that speaks to my pain.

So, I leave you with a quote from Kiki. And as always, I'm curious to know what you think.

"Our bodies have been broken apart bit by bit and need a lot of healing. Our whole society is very fragmented. Everything is split, and presented in dichotomies--male/female, body/mind--and those splits need mending."

---Kiki Smith

fertility fetish

"About" Image #2: The Venus of Willendorf (also referred to as The Woman of Willendorf)

Well, if we're going to be looking at images of women/fertility in art, we might as well go all the way back to the beginning. This 20,000ish year old "venus" figure (now a dated term) is one of several from the Paleolithic era, but she is certainly the most famous. She is named for the region of Austria in which she was found.

She is a tiny old girl - at approx. four inches, she could fit comfortably in the palm your hand. The purpose of the sculpture is not entirely certain, but with its womanly (to say the least) proportions, it has been suggested that she is a symbol of fertility. When you consider the parts of the figure that are emphasized (breasts, hips, abdomen, girly bits) and those that aren't (face, arms), it's pretty easy to see why some have drawn that conclusion.

I know that we are absolutely NOT a baby dust crowd here, but I do notice, occasionally, people figuratively pulling out amulets and making appeals for our friends' successful treatments, tests, pregnancies, etc. So that's got me thinking. What would a modern day "venus" look like, anyway? Particularly for this crowd? What would be her most important features? And would she have any attributes, such as Zeus' lightning bolt or Poseidon's trident?

Can't wait to hear your ideas. I'm planning to have a little fun (yeah, I remember how to do that, I think) and make up a little statuette based on your input. Hey, it's something to do while I'm waiting. So, there you go. Have at it, if you will!

about my "about" image

It's not mine.

The artwork, that is. It's a detail of <--this painting, La Source (The Source or The Spring) by the French neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (last name pronounced sort of like "anger" with the "ger" trailing off). I've been meaning to credit "the source," but I'm just getting around to it now.

I've mentioned in an earlier post that I'm an artist, and that I'll be using this blog to share some of my work, especially those pieces that relate to fertility issues. I'm also an art lover, however, and I'm finding it interesting to go back and explore how the image of "woman" has been handled throughout art history. I'm thinking that I'll pick out the ones that interest me most and update my About pic with them periodically.

I'm actually not a big fan of Ingres. I find much of his work to be distorted, fussy, and rather tra-la-la-la-blech. Lots of bathers and nudes lounging around on velvet and satin and feathers and stuff. But I've always been sort of captivated by La Source. And now she seems to do a nice job of hinting at what's in my blog. You might have noticed, however, that my About image looks a bit different from the original painting. I edited the graphic in Photoshop to heighten the shadows and intensify her direct stare.

My runner-up choice was <--this painting, L'Origine du Monde (1866), by the French painter, Gustave Courbet. I decided, however, to go with Ingres' more subtle work. Besides, I wouldn't want to risk people thinking the picture is a representation of my "area." It's a rather memorable image, though, don't ya think? If you'd ever like to see L'Origine or La Source in real life, they're both in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

Anyway, I've found some other great works of art that I'm excited to share. I'll post a new one at the start of each month.