Bouguereau Put Venus on a Pedestal

Shayla Hickerson, Bouguereau Put Venus on a Pedestal, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 4ft x 4ft.

Our bodies perform narratives that are typically understood through the binary (boy and girl) which limits self-expression. Through my paintings and soft sculptures, I aim to challenge normative gender narratives that are imposed through learned behaviours. 

I began to sketch a rendition of William Adolphe-Bouguereau’s The Birth of Venus (1879) where I selected a few key figures to be transported into a contemporary setting. 

The satyrs represent the men in my life, and Venus represents female disposition. Then I reference Bouguereau’s composition and palette to alter reality; the figures collide with space and the setting is filled with colour, lack of perspective and distorted light sources. The altered representation challenges the perceived reality of learned behaviours. 

Through renditions, I aim to reflect on my own experience; I am a ciswoman in her early 20s growing up in a male-dominated society that sexualizes women. I consider the female nude and the taboo of women’s sexuality because I have been raised to believe that my naked body and sexuality are non-existent, or only used for male pleasure, when in reality, being naked is pure existence and being a woman with sexuality is human. 

Submitted by Shayla Hickerson.

Fine Art, Submissions, PaintingShayla HickersonBouguereau Put Venus on a Pedestal, The Birth of Venus, Shayla HickersonComment