inspo
Her painting was inspired by “Young Ladies on the banks of the Seine (Summer)” by Gustave Courbet in 1857. This original painting was celebrated by expressionists, was very large (69” x 81”) and was criticized for being a man’s perspective on 2 ladies lounging in the summertime. Exploring themes of gender expression (some say the lower person looked rather masculine for a woman) and feminism (as these were lower class people depicted in a large, luxurious artwork, bringing a more inclusive perspective to art viewers at the time).
I noted the expression of languishing (evidently the buzzword for 2021) in the lower person’s facial and body expression in Courbet’s painting. To me, this year, I’ve been here. A lot. This feeling beyond health worries and the accumulation of the weight of social and environmental issues in the world.
I was inspired by these paintings and wanted to tell my own narrative. A raw look at myself. An awareness of my feelings. A reflection of myself/reaching out to myself.
Self care: self love.
The pillow is embroidered with "a word" after Margaret Atwood's, "a word after a word after a word is power."
