Distortion of self-image– an intrusion on what should be a private moment. The perspectives of others impose themselves on her view of her own body in the mirror. This painting in particular dips into my specific interest in the male gaze.
I made this piece by cutting out pictures of paintings from art catalogues, piecing them together, and painting the resulting collage. Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (1841–1895), the person who painted the woman and mirror, often placed women in front of mirrors to ask viewers to think about the act of “looking.” It was common (and still is, really) to sexualize women and violate their private space, and Morisot sought to challenge that. The women in her paintings were aware of the gazes upon them.
Link to a really interesting source exploring Morisot’s paintings: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=suurj
I would recommend checking it out as well as some of her other work, undiluted by my painting skills.
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