COVE

Display Explanation

The heavy, tall wooden doors to the installation will open up to reveal a maroon room with a high ceiling. There will be no lights in the room except for the lighting used for each piece, and the middle of the large room will be distinctly dim to create an interment, if not unsettling feel. By looking straight ahead, you will be confronted with Edouard Manets “Olympia” She will be on the smaller back wall of the long room. She will be hung at eye level so her gaze can meet yours. When you walk down the center of the room to stand before her, you will be caught in two crossing streams of light from spotlights in the upper corners of the back wall. This is meant to bring attention to your presence. You are forced to confront the fact that you are consuming this media and are not able to act as a passive voyeur. Your viewing is now a part of the installation, and there is a strong focus on your presence. The forced eye contact and the literal spotlight force intimacy between the painting and you and make you as much of a spectacle as Olympia.

If you are to turn to your right, you will see a winding path painted on the floor, progressively getting more rural. As the path winds, the painted grass and rocks become more and more plentiful, and as the path nears the second painting, faux trees and hanging vines block the painting from clear view at any angle other than where the painted path ends. Once in place, you will set sight on “Luncheon in the Grass”, by Manet as well. The painting will be displayed slightly above eye level, so the woman in the foreground is looking above your head. Natural light will filter in from the ceiling via a Bernini style window meant to naturally illuminate the painting in the dim room. The surrounding vines and trees are meant to create a secluded scene, where you are a peeping tom of sorts. The subjects of the painting have every expectation of privacy, and yet here you are. But the woman isn’t even bothered, she is simply looking past you, and if you are to follow her gaze you will see her looking at herself in a mirror behind you, placed above a half circle curved rod hanging deep red, heavy velvet curtains.

As you brush past the vines and stray from the previous path towards the curtains, the light dims once more. You push the curtain to the side and are confronted with the painting “Madam X”, by John Singer Sargent. She is positioned so her feet are close to the ground, as if she is in the room with you. . There are small warm lights placed around the curtains, illuminating the painting and yourself from the bottom as the mirrors catch the light. On each side of the painting, are full body mirrors so you can judge yourself as you judge her and her apparel. Are your solders showing? Can you see your clavicles? Is your skin as “ghastly” and “pallid”. Confront those judgements you or others may have about her by looking yourself in the eyes during the process. Stay as long as you can manage the discomfort of confronting your place as a viewer.

instalation note

Know Your Place shows the importance of the public’s reaction to art. This installation is set up to make the visitor confront the impact they as a viewer have on the public opinion of art, and women. Each piece in this exhibit was met with pushbacks from the public for their subject matter. Be it confidently sexual women, casual nudity, or a scandalous public figure showing her shoulder, these paintings were considered controversial.

“Olympia” by Edouard Manet depicts a nude woman, with a woman of color by her side, and a black cat at her feet. The symbolism, much like the force, is strong in this piece. Women of color were seen in an oversexualized lens, and black cats were indicative of something untrustworthy, or bad luck. But that wasn’t the main issue the public addressed when critiquing this piece, it was the eye contact Olympia was making. She was a “shameless” woman. It was one thing to be a sex worker behind closed doors, but another thing entirely to be so overtly confrontational and confident with her gaze (Takac, B). She was powerful though. She was receiving a large bouquet, while in a lavish room, and she is decorated in jewelry. The colors around her are rich and deep. The background is a deep red, a symbol of passion and strength. She is content with where she is, as she is. Her brows are raised, and her chin is tilted ever so slightly up as if to say, “what about it?”

Much like “Olympia”, “luncheon on the grass” by Manet as well was subject to similar controversy. The work depicts a picknick scene in a forest with two unclothed women, and two entirely clothed men. The woman’s nudity is largely ignored in the context of the painting. The scene does not seem to depict a mythological scene, and it seems pretty modern for the time. But it completely disregards societal norms by including casually nude women. And again, the woman in the foreground is looking towards the viewer, despite not making as striking eye contact with the viewer. The woman look relaxed and comfortable, and the men pay their display no mind. Perhaps it was meant to show a world where nudity was not inherently sexual, where women’s bodies were not simply a sexual object to be leered at. The public at the time could not comprehend this concept, and therefor, it was deemed inappropriate. Because after all, modern women cannot exist in a nonsexual way, so there must be some underlying kink (Stockwell, M).

Perhaps the most impactful criticism was of John Singer Sargent’s painting “Madam X”. In the original rendition, her bare shoulder was exposed as her strap falls off her right shoulder. But due to the public outcry the artist “fixed” it to make it more palatable. The model for this painting was a “professional beauty”. She was a woman known for her “unconventional beauty”, and she utilized it to work her way up social circles. She also had an alleged habit of having extramarital affairs. With her scandalous actions, and her ever enticing shoulder, the painting was received with critiques on the “spineless expression and the vulgar character of the figure”. Despite being known previously as a beautiful woman, she received scalding critiques on her figure and skin. She was too pale, too sexual, too improper. The only visible jewelry on her is her ring, likely a wedding ring, which adds a new layer of scandal. She is reminding the public she is a married, or “claimed” woman, and yet is still presenting herself like this for a male portraiture, and the public. A woman once regarded for her beauty was now shamed for the very same qualities she was praised for, all because she was presented too confident. Her dress, even after the alteration, clung to her hips and sat low on her chest. The dress was a deep black silk, and the artist made sure to display all the intricacies of the soft flexible fabric, accentuating her form (“Portrait of Madame X”).

Portrait of Madame X. (2020, October 11). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_Madame_X

Stockwell, M. (2019, July 18). Luncheon on the Grass by Edouard Manet (1863) - Singulart | Magazine. Magazine. https://www.singulart.com/blog/en/2019/07/18/the-scandal-behind-edouard-...

Takac, B. (2025, February 27). The Controversy Behind Edouard Manet’s Olympia Masterpiece - Artsper Magazine. Artsper Magazine. https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/edouard-manet-olympia/