Chelsea Swan

As a kind of culmination of the male body stuff I decided to draw my partner in the poses from The Three Graces c. 1635 by Peter Paul Rubens.

You could maybe argue that his use of what we would now consider curvier and more imperfect bodies as a sign of his acceptance of the female form in all its variety. However this is still one mans vision, using the female body, and repeating the same standards as he finds them most appealing. This is not equality just another box to put woman in. It’s like saying Freud was a feminist because he prefered women without makeup on, never mind the fact that he shouted at them and used their bodies for his vision.

The thing is I was so busy trying to make it look like proper art and all that, that I went a bit boring with it and it became a real drag. It took about a week and has no personality. Its A1 size and probably the biggest thing Ive ever done as I work very small and meticulously. It safe and comforting working small and also very portable. I don’t like sitting in the same space for too long or repeatedly. Most of my work is quite portable as I take it everywhere with me.

The second one is A2 and I did it out of frustration that the first had no personality or colour. I felt that it lost the female gaze, the fun, the sparkle, the me-ness. It was just a bit dull.

I have long stuck with a blue, pink and yellow pallet. Pink is seen as girlie but is more dominant than blue and is red, the woman’s color, in disguise. Blue is supposed to be the male colour but was, until recently as far as history goes, the female colour. Yellow is a happy colour, a distraction from sad things. Together I think they make a magical fantasy world. They are the happiest combination. I also like iridescent and sparkles.

I think the smaller scale did mean that I didn’t get as much detail and I think that the colors could have been used in different tones and all that to make the second image more impactful.

***Reminder to self to look up Dalmas Howe as it relates to my belief that male sexuality is primarily homoerotic in art***