Display Explanation

Upon entering the installation, visitors will encounter a carefully arranged space that guides them through different representations of female sexuality in early 20th-century art. The layout is designed to create a progression, moving from fragmentation to realism to sensual empowerment.

At the center of the room, Georges Braque’s Baigneuse (Le Grand Nu) (1908) will be displayed on a freestanding easel, slightly tilted forward. This positioning encourages visitors to closely engage with the work’s Cubist fragmentation. A spotlight above will cast shadows that mimic the painting’s rough textures, emphasizing how abstraction distorts the female form.

To the left, E. J. Bellocq’s Portrait of a Prostitute with a Glass of Whiskey (early 1900s) will be placed in a vintage-style frame and mounted at eye level. The photograph’s placement in a dimly lit alcove will create an intimate, almost voyeuristic viewing experience. A subtle, warm light will illuminate the woman’s face, drawing attention to her direct gaze and the contrast between her power and vulnerability.

On the right, Tamara de Lempicka’s La Belle Rafaëla (1927) will be hung on a deep-colored wall, slightly elevated, with soft golden lighting that accentuates the model’s confident pose and smooth contours. This presentation enhances the painting’s glamorous and sensual energy, contrasting the earlier pieces’ themes of abstraction and commodification.

Together, these works will be arranged in a triangular formation, subtly guiding viewers through an evolving narrative of female sexuality—one that transitions from objectification and detachment to realism and, finally, self-possessed sensuality.

Installation Note

Sexuality in art has long been shaped by the ways in which the female form is portrayed—whether fragmented, commodified, or celebrated. This installation, The Shifting Gaze: Sexuality and Representation, explores how artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries approached female nudity and desire, ultimately revealing the evolving perception of women’s agency in art.

At the forefront of this conversation is Georges Braque’s Baigneuse (1908), which dismantles traditional depictions of the female body. Through Cubist abstraction, Braque reduces the figure into jagged, overlapping planes, challenging the sensuality typically associated with the nude. His work suggests a tension between form and meaning—does the fragmentation strip the subject of desire, or does it force a deeper contemplation of the body beyond its surface?

Contrasting Braque’s abstracted form, E. J. Bellocq’s Portrait of a Prostitute with a Glass of Whiskey (early 1900s) presents a woman whose sexuality is inextricably tied to economic and social realities. Unlike the idealized muses of traditional nudes, Bellocq’s subject is a real woman, both participating in and resisting the structures that define her. Her direct gaze disrupts expectations—she is neither ashamed nor fully inviting the viewer’s consumption. This photograph forces an intimate reckoning with the blurred lines between agency and exploitation.

Finally, Tamara de Lempicka’s La Belle Rafaëla (1927) presents a striking counterpoint to both Braque’s abstraction and Bellocq’s realism. In Lempicka’s Art Deco portrait, the subject is both sensual and powerful. The smooth, sculptural rendering of her body exudes confidence rather than passivity, signaling a shift in the representation of female sexuality. No longer fragmented or confined by societal structures, La Belle Rafaëla embodies a woman who embraces her own desire and self-possession.

By displaying these three works together, The Shifting Gaze challenges visitors to reflect on how sexuality has been perceived and portrayed in different artistic movements. What does it mean to break apart the body in art? How does realism complicate our understanding of female agency? And how does artistic style shape the way we perceive sensuality? These images, placed in dialogue with one another, reveal an evolving narrative—one that moves from distortion and commodification to the assertion of control over one’s own representation.

MLA Citations

• Braque, Georges. Baigneuse (Le Grand Nu, Large Nude). 1908, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Braque#/media/File:Georges_Braque,_1908,_Baigneuse_(Le_Grand_Nu,_Large_Nude),_oil_on_canvas,_140_%C3%97_100_cm,_Mus%C3%A9e_National_d'Art_Moderne,_Centre_Pompidou,_Paris.jpg. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

• Bellocq, E. J. Portrait of a Prostitute with a Glass of Whiskey. Early 1900s, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._J._Bellocq#/media/File:Portret_van_een_prostituee_met_een_glas_whiskey,_RP-F-F00149.jpg. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

• Lempicka, Tamara de. La Belle Rafaëla. 1927, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamara_de_Lempicka#/media/File:Tamara_de_Lempicka,_La_Belle_Rafaëla,_1927.jpg. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.