Installation Desciption:
The premise of the exhibit is to put the spectator in an uncomfortable situation. Although the paintings aren’t “alive,” I want the display to give them life to challenge the viewer. The outside of the installation would be a boring and ominous black box with no source of light able to get into the room. I planned to have all the images in a small room with a door. There wouldn’t be much space, but enough that the person would stand in the middle with about 3 feet between them and the paintings. I don’t want the person to feel claustrophobic or as if they are trapped. The name of the exhibit, “Dare To Stare,” is making them feel unwelcomed in the space from being stared at. The room would have a single bright light that turns on as soon as they walk into the middle where the person would be standing. If possible, I would want the light to be a cool-tone spotlight that gives off some heat to make the person sweat. There would be additional lights on the paintings to illuminate them, but much dimmer than the spotlight on the viewer. The lights on the paintings should be warm-toned. The warm tones would give the impression that the people in the paintings are much more comfortable than the person viewing them. People would have to walk into the room and close the door to get the whole experience. Only one person would be allowed in at a time. I want the person viewing the painting to feel isolated by the people in the images staring at them. The paintings would be elevated at eye level, about 5 feet or so off the ground so that the person viewing the paintings would be staring into their eyes. The paintings would be on 3 different walls. In all of the images, the people posing own the space that they are in, so I want them to be able to own the entire wall that they are on. Additionally, the person in the middle wouldn’t own anything except the door to leave. The person would be allowed to stay in the installation as long as they want. I think that all of the people in the paintings are strong and confident in the nude. The “dare” part of the installation is the person staring back at the paintings rather than leaving or looking away. Whenever the person is done looking, I would like to have the sound of laughing play as they leave. The laughing would be more menacing and mocking to the person leaving the room. On a small plaque on the door, I want it to read “Sorry, do YOU not like being stared at?” It would be one final challenge to the viewer. In the end, I want to create an exhibit that makes the viewer become the object that’s being stared at. They should be uncomfortable the moment the spotlight turns on and the moment that they leave because they do not own the space.
Installation Note:
The philosophy of the installation is paintings that directly challenge the viewer by staring back at them. In all of the paintings, the person posing appears to be in control of their space. Les Poseuses has the female model standing directly in the middle with a slight cock to her head. Odalisque with Raised Arms has the female model sitting in a daring pose with her eyes directed at the audience. Naked Self Portrait shows Egon Schiele in a wide open seating position staring into the eyes of the spectator. In all 3 paintings, I felt unwelcomed by the people staring back at me. The feeling doesn’t stem from them being nude, but that I am the one that is clothed. The level of comfort that they exude from being in the nude is what makes their stare so much stronger. They all appear to be in some form of lounging positions that exemplify their ownership. The colors in all of the paintings vary greatly. I thought it was interesting to have all of the models with different shades of skin tones. The slight variation gives each person their own identity and makes them feel more alive. Additionally, the colors of their eyes are completely black. At first, the models not having colored irises is hard to notice, but the longer that you stare into their eyes, the gaze goes even deeper. The way that all of the paintings position the arms and the legs is important as well. In Les Poseuses, the female is putting her weight on her left foot and has her arms laying loosely. Her hands are intertwined over her crotch to avert the audience’s eyes from the area. In Odalisque with Raised Arms, the woman sitting in the chair has her arms above her head in a revealing position. Everything about her posture is wide open and free as she fills the frame that she is in. In Naked Self Portrait, Egon Schiele is even wider open than the Odalisque. His arms lay completely lax with his legs that are open to reveal his crotch. I think that his position is the most daring. The paintings contrast each other by making the models seem to be of varying ages. Les Poseuses paints the female as a young woman without much hair on her body at all. All of her body and facial features make me assume that she’s no older than 25. Odalisque with Raised Arms has a woman that is a good bit older than the girl in Les Poseuses. The woman has her armpit hair on full display and looks like she’s completely comfortable showing it off. Naked Self Portrait has a man who looks much older than the other two women. Egon Schiele wasn’t that old whenever he drew the painting, but the way he paints himself, he appears to me a starved old man. His body hair is on full display as nothing is left to the imagination. All of the paintings complement and contrast one another to create an installation that dares viewers to look a little bit longer.
Citations:
Matisse, Henri. Odalisque with Raised Arms. 1923, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odalisque_with_Raised_Arms.
Schiele, Egon. Nude Self Portrait. 1916, https://pixelsmerch.com/featured/nude-self-portrait-1916-egon-schiele.htmlLinks to an external site.
Seurat, Georges. Les Poseuses. 1888, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Models_(painting)#/media/File:Georges_Seurat_-_Models_(Poseuses)_-_BF811_-_Barnes_Foundation.jpg.
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