unfinished studies of anonymous women

The Female Figure in Art

Historically, a majority of female figure paintings in art have been criticized as objectifying women through male perspectives. For example, the male gaze, in feminist theory, is the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and in literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the male viewer. In the contemporary art world, not much has changed, despite the fact that our society is much more diverse and complex, with multiple layers of perspective.

In unfinished studies of anonymous women, my portraits are not the usual beautiful female figures to look at. On the contrary, all portraits stare at the viewer, and can perhaps make the viewer feel intimidated. The figures look rather uncomfortable, serious or upset, enhancing this reversal of the artwork-viewer positions. This series of female figure paintings is my first attempt in re-evaluating the meaning of “women in art by male artists,” carefully not going through the male gaze. The series will be showcased in various contexts in different parts of the world over the coming years.

In the 1990s, during my student years at the New York Academy of Art, I used to create life-size nude figurative paintings. Quite a large number of my paintings were purchased by the now-infamous Jeffrey Epstein, a New York billionaire who died last year. His name became well known in Canada as well, as Netflix recently produced a documentary entitled Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (directed by Lisa Bryant). Although I had no idea who he was when I was an MFA student, it was shocking news to me. He could be a nightmare example of the male gaze. I feel terrible for the survivors and about my paintings being exploited. I have no idea of the whereabouts of my paintings (some say that they have been confiscated by the FBI), yet this incident made me re-evaluate my practice.

Anonymity and a Never-ending Process

The female individuals in this series were randomly chosen without specific criteria during my international travels over recent years. I started producing small oil paintings with some good artist friends in Asia for a collaborative project last year, and then this extended to my personal artwork depicting anonymous people, some of whom whose name I don’t even know.

The resources to create these paintings, such as photographs and other character information about the models, were rather limited. It was a struggle to start the process. My painting practice emphasizes the importance of processes aimed at learning reality and is less about finished commodities. Literally, it is a continuous struggle of technique; layering thick coarse paints sometimes conflicts with achieving satisfactory meticulous details. The first layers of paint are so thick that I no longer have precise control over the top layers. Although I still tried to complete the paintings, all seem unfinished.

On the other hand, the more I advanced in the process of the paintings, the more they lost their anonymity and became distinct individuals. Yet they only become the characters based on the artist’s gaze. Hence this process takes the paintings further away from becoming precisely the models as they see themselves. Philosophically, it will never reach its completion. It is a rhetorical dilemma for the artist.

Perhaps my attempt is meant to be unfinished. I have much yet to learn.