Self Portraits
The collection you see here is what I refer to as my ‘self-portrait’ series. The reason for the absence of the figure/features/faces in this series is to symbolise and illustrate the exclusion of women in the history of art and their absence in some texts even today. Each portrait is named after a different female artist that inspired me when making this collection (Rose Garrad, Marina Abromavich, Paula Rego and Louise Bourgeois).
The idea of using a self portrait instead of other women as my models is in homage to the female artists who were not allowed to enter life drawing classes that men could attend to further their art education. Instead, they would resort to using themselves as their own models when learning how to draw the human form.
Each piece follows the same format:
The inspiration for the pose and the style of the drapery would come from an already existing painting (found in various art galleries in London and Birmingham), this would often be a painting of a female model painted by a male artist.
I would be draped in fabric in the style of the dresses/robes as in the the painting selected.
I would direct the photoshoot, the lighting and the angles.
Recreating the photograph, I would paint just the fabric within the image, leaving enough empty space around the fabric and within the frame of the canvas for the audience to imagine where the missing head and hands may fit.
These images would also be painted at a life-sized scale to create the illusion that the person is there in front of you.
My thoughts were, If I followed this method for each portrait I would regain full control of my own image along with how a female figure would be depicted when used as a model, unlike what is so often found of female models in fine art (historically painted by men for the male gaze).
I still think there’s a long way for there to truly be equal representation of women in the Arts, but hopefully with the direction we’re going in and with the help of ladies like Rose, Marina, Paula and Louise, we will get there sooner rather than later!
Submitted by Kate Carter.