In my
last post “Self As Web Icon” we discussed the notion that the "buyer
is buying You the Artist, not
just the Art" and how I played with this concept to design my first
website in 2002. Most of us would rather create the art then sell it. For
those of us who are Introverts, the idea of putting our physical self in front
of what we create is completely mortifying. We wonder, why can’t it just be
about the work? But what if we were what we painted? What if the Artist is the Subject?
Art school advice: Paint what you know! What do you know more than your own
face? The popularity of Frida Kahlo and Vincent Van Gogh’s self portraits would
suggest that the sale ability of self portraiture could be a viable option. Right? I
mean sure, if your beyond awesome, or really lucky! However, be real with yourself.
Is the Subject, you the Artist, interesting? Are you a character? Do you have
an interesting life story? What is the message you want your portrait to convey?
These were the hard questions I was pondering in the early days of the Internet
almost a decade before Instagram was established in 2010. I concluded that yes
I would be the subject but not in a typical portrait. See for yourself. These are
some paintings I created while working toward creating “Art with Meaning
and Intent”. My objective was to establish Face as Brand recognition (before it
was a thing-so innovative!) using the Artist as Subject and focusing on the more
confrontational concept of “The Female Gaze”:
Note
the above paintings are very different then the work presented in the post “Self Portrait Paintings”. (For more info on individual paintings go to my Womankind gallery on Pinterest.) While the women were created in my likeness, I was more
interested in expressing the concept of The Female Gaze then in a realistic self
portrait. Much has been written from numerous perspectives on the subject of
The Artist’s Gaze, The Female Gaze, The White Gaze…etcetera. I highly recommend
looking into the art historical, philosophical and political concepts
if you are not yet familiar. Also, fair warning, the concept originated in the
70’s, has since been tossed around for the last 40 years and has now become
somewhat abused in the age of social media. But that will be up to you to
decide. That’s all I have for today! I am working on numerous projects behind
the scenes for AEFraser.com and The Legend of Hare Terra while I contemplate
and share these delicious bits of personal Art History on the blog. What? I’m
multitasking! I’m letting you get to know Me the Artist and all of my deep dark
thoughts. The “They” said in our world of TMI you absolutely demand it! Up
next, the days between my periods and… Just Kidding! Stay tuned… no menstrual blood,
I promise.
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