Comparative Study
Introduction
My comparative study focuses on three artworks that are famous for different reasons. These artworks are “You are a Lady” by Ghada Amer, “Thérèse Dreaming” by Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski), and ‘Danae’ by Gustav Klimt. These three paintings have some things in common. Perhaps the feature that stands out most is the erotic nature of the arts. All three artists use women as models in their paintings. They use imagery to invoke sexual desires in the minds of the viewers. The artworks have been subject to criticism for their erotic nature, with some individuals demanding that the museums that showcase them pull them down.
Function and Purpose of Artwork
Balthus was famous for his erotic style of painting, and “Thérèse Dreaming” was no different. His target audience consists of open-minded individuals who would appreciate this piece without being judgmental. The picture depicts a girl sitting with her legs open. This image may instill sexual thoughts in the minds of the viewers. However, Balthus’ paintings contained a high degree of ambiguity. From this painting, the viewers find themselves in a dilemma concerning whether sexuality exists in the art or their minds. Despite accusing him of being pedophilic, when viewers look at this painting from a sexual perspective, they become participants in the artist’s pedophilia.
“Thérèse Dreaming” does not have a distinct meaning and is subject to different interpretations by different critics. Balthus believed that art was a language on its own that could communicate messages to the viewers without the need for written explanations. He emphasized his point by creating ambiguity in the painting. He never bothered to clarify what messages his paintings passed. He left his art to do all the talking, and this is evident in this painting. Most interpretations point towards the picture being a portrait of sexuality. The dim light in the art symbolizes sexuality and the presence of an erotic mood. The red color in the painting further emphasizes sexuality.
Gustav Klimt came up with “Danae” during his prime days. During this time, the symbolism was prominent in works of art, cutting across both written and visual forms. In particular, visual art forms employed themes that were mythical (“Danae by Gustav Klimt”). The painting bore historical and spiritual significance as it referred to a popular narrative from Greek Mythology. The picture serves to give a vivid representation of divine love and redemption (“Danae by Gustav Klimt”).
The painting draws inspiration from a famous Greek myth that shows how a man tried to interfere with a prophecy by locking his daughter away so that she would never get pregnant. However, one of the Greek gods visited her in the form of a golden shower and got her pregnant. The painting illustrates the scene at the time of conception. Gustav manages to vividly show the ecstatic mood that the woman in the picture was in during the act. He put much detail on the woman’s face to achieve this desired effect. He was famous for making portraits portraying female sexuality, as he had studied the female body through and through. This painting falls in line with the artist’s works that made him famous.
Further details of the painting show the prosperous state in which she lived, symbolized by purple and golden colors, associated with wealth at the time. These symbols represented her royal identity. From the painting, her naked thigh occupies much of the canvas space, symbolizing the open sexuality that Gustav portrayed in many of his paintings. The artist creates an element of prurience in the viewers’ minds by exposing the body of the woman. The woman does not appear concerned about her nudity, as she is enjoying the pleasure derived from the act of conception. The woman’s position is similar to that of a fetus in the womb. Her sexual fulfillment acts to protect her from the harsh realities of the world in the same manner to which the womb protects a fetus from mechanical damage.
Ghada Amer attracted attention through the use of thick embroidery on her canvases. She gained inspiration for this painting from images from pornographic magazines, which aim towards instilling feelings of lust in the minds of viewers. However, Amer had the unique ability to transform these images into reflections of the private nature of ecstasy. The main themes in her paintings include the social aspects of life. In particular, she focuses on the subjects of female identity, sexuality, and Islamic culture.
Amer’s style of painting is unique as she makes use of fabric work in a very detailed manner. People traditionally associate needlework with the female gender. By making use of this technique, she acknowledges her role as a woman in society. She paints a picture that presents female nudity from a different perspective that is not male-dominated. The use of threadwork identifies the painting with the female gender. The woman in the painting is touching herself and deriving sexual pleasure from it. This aspect shows the sexual liberation of women from men and how they no longer need men to satisfy them sexually.
Analysis and Evaluation of Cultural and Material Significance
Balthus worked on “Thérèse Dreaming” in 1938. The painting got mixed reactions from the viewers, although many of them were not pleased with the fact that he used a child to portray sexual desires. However, several other people have had contrasting opinions on the subject. Some people argue that Balthus was only trying to describe the degree of freedom that girls enjoy while still young (Quito 5). This freedom eventually goes away after the realization and self-consciousness that develops as the girl grows into a young woman. Balthus’ beliefs indicate his view that art forms should speak for themselves. Therefore, he made no effort to clarify the subject, and his paintings remain controversial to date.
In comparison, Balthus’ painting does not display any form of nudity on the part of the girl. The other two paintings in my study are explicit and display female nudity. The girl in the painting is fully dressed, and the fact that she exposes her pant, seemingly unaware, is a common occurrence in children of her age. Balthus developed the painting during the Expressionism era, where artists sought to express the world primarily in a subjective manner devoid of emotions. In the French locality, the location of his painting, his artworks that were erotic, were acceptable. However, liberal-minded individuals of the present era have expressed their displeasure with the artist’s work.
People knew about Balthus’ obsession with cats, thanks to his tendency to include them in many of his paintings. These cats often appeared alongside young girls in the painting. Their occurrence represents the artist’s subtle attempts to portray an erogenous feel to the painting. Balthus had strong-rooted beliefs concerning his artworks and art in general, and nobody could sway him to think otherwise. Perhaps being male influenced his choice in terms of his style of painting because most of his paintings involved young girls in sexy poses. It is safe to say that the man enjoyed creating controversy among those that viewed his paintings.
Gustav Klimt created “Danae” in 1907 in Vienna, Austria. At the time, it was not uncommon for artists to focus on Danae as she had gained popularity because of her portrayal as a typical symbol of divine love and superiority. Many countries all over the world recognize Greek mythology, and perhaps this influenced the people’s reactions towards the painting. Gustav only created an illustration of an existing mythical story. Hence the people could not attack him for making such a painting with high levels of nudity.
Gustav dedicated his life to learning as much about the female body as he could. Therefore, he had abundant knowledge on the subject and consequently came up with several erotic paintings of women over the years. His profound knowledge of the female body may have influenced his decision to try and create an illustration of the feelings of pleasure experienced by Danae when Zeus visited her. This mythical story attracted Gustav’s interest because of its erotic nature, and he did it justice by bringing the conception scene to life.
Gustav’s style was unique, and he focused on making commentary on the corruption of modern society. This approach disappointed the commissioning authority when he designed the ceiling of the Great Hall of Vienna University. However, he stuck to his portrayal of nudity, and within no time, he became a cultural hero in Vienna (Florman 312). His direct nature made him famous as he did not hold anything back and made portraits with as much detail as possible. Even though some people criticized his work, he did not relent and continued making erotic portraits that remain famous to date, particularly “Danae.”
Ghada Amer began studying art at the age of 21 in France. She came up with the piece, “You are a Lady” in 2015 in an era of increased democracy all over the world. Therefore, people could openly air their views on different subjects through the media of their choice. Amer chose art as her medium of choice. She is very vocal about her stand on female bodies. She believes that the female body is a powerful seduction tool, and women should use their bodies as they please (Roseo and Chiara 5). She finds the laws and regulations oppressive as they dictate women’s attitudes towards their bodies.
In an attempt to make her point heard, she began painting nude and erotic illustrations of women. In her portraits, some women were touching themselves and deriving sexual pleasure from that. These portraits, including “You are a Lady,” are a form of protest against the oppression that women face in a male-dominated society. She is unhappy with the oppression and takes it upon herself to expose women’s nudity in her paintings, in search of liberation. The technique she adopts that is the use of threadwork is symbolic because many people associate the craft with femininity.
Her gender played a role in influencing the piece of art. She has a female viewpoint of the oppression against her species in the form of culture and religious fundamentalism. She openly expresses her stand through her artwork and condemns the oppression resulting from traditional notions (Riley and Amer 2).
Conclusion
All three artists existed in different eras, and each artist gained recognition in their own right. Their willingness to express themselves controversially speaks volumes about their boldness. They explore the world of nudity and employ the technique in their paintings. Even though each artist had a unique style of painting, the paintings aroused erotic thoughts among those who came across them. All three artists made use of females in their portraits, although Balthus made use of a very young girl. Also, he employed the use of cats in his paintings to maintain his subtlety in expressing his erotic views (Rewald 15).
Works Cited
Artbasel.Com, 2020, https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artwork/70313/Ghada-Amer-You-Are-a-Lady.
“Danae By Gustav Klimt”. Gustavklimt.Net, 2020, http://www.gustavklimt.net/danae/.
Florman, Lisa. “Gustav Klimt and the Precedent of Ancient Greece.” The Art Bulletin 72.2 (1990): 310-326.
“Ghada Amer | You Are A Lady (2015) | Artsy”. Artsy.Net, 2020, https://www.artsy.net/artwork/ghada-amer-you-are-a-lady.
“History Of Aryt:Gustav Klimt”. All-Art.Org, 2020, http://www.all-art.org/symbolism/klimt1.html.
Metmuseum.Org, 2020, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/489977.
Quito, Anne. “The Met Refuses To Take Down A Controversial Painting And Reminds Americans What Museums Are For.”. Quartz, 2017, https://qz.com/quartzy/1150269/new-yorks-metropolitan-museum-of-art-explains-why-it-refuses-to-take-down-therese-dreaming-by-balthus/.
Reilly, Maura, and Ghada Amer. Ghada Amer. Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2010.
Roseo, Maria, and Chiara Cordoni. “GHADA AMER – Artemorbida”. Artemorbida, 2020, https://www.artemorbida.com/ghada-amer/?lang=en.
Rewald, Sabine. Balthus: cats and girls. Yale University Press, 2013.