Not Your Average Female Portrait
Ways in which you wouldn't normally view a woman
Curated by Lily Johnston

Andrew Wyeth, Christina's World,  1948

Here, Andrew Wyeth tells the story of his neighbor weakened by the effects of polio. Wyeth claims that "she was limited but by no means physically." For Wyteh, the challenge "was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless." He paid special attention to detail and wanted to place the viewer squarely in her world. At a first glimpse, what appears to be a photograph, the message of mentally pushing through one's disabilities isn't all that evident. In my case, I experienced the painting more of a complete desolation and frustration. She strives for a home, but may not be able to reach it, or she has been left outside to fend for herself and can not seem to figure life out. How strange. Previous knowledge has taught me that the average painter decided to choose setting perhaps on the more risque side instead of the painful. So while Wyeth depicts the story of girl making her way painfully back to her home, somehow overcoming the odds, the work seems to hold an eerie view that makes the viewer uncomfortable. Like watching a child in pain, a woman in pain and despair has a troubling quality that makes the comforter recoil and come down with a case of empathy. However, in the case of your male-preferred Venus of Urbino, empathy would not be the first thing that comes to mind.

In my collection, Not Your Average Female Portrait, I hope to convey that not all paintings of women are sexual and for the benefit of the man. On the contrary, many fe/male painters seem to draw from female discomfort and thrust it upon the public. However, I also draw from the playful side in which the awkward and questionable acts of painted scenes contribute to my fascination with women in paintings and how the thought came to be illustrated in such uncomfortable ways, or seemingly unnecessary ways.