Display Explanation:
We here at the museum ask those attending this exhibit to remove their shoes and pay attention to all of your senses for the best experience as you walk through the four-dimensional display. The entrance to the exhibit allows attendees to know that there are different touching, smelling, and hearing portions of the exhibit, a warning to those who are sensitive to those things. A hallway that has the words Elemental Sexuality arranged in abstractly positioned cuttings of gold-plated framings. As one walks through the hallway, a blue-hued light caps the end of the darkness. There lies a hidden rocky cove, the smell of an ocean breeze, a bright hue of light, and the sounds of crashing waves. The feeling of slightly bumpy pebbles and larger flat rocks under your feet makes you feel as though you are on a walk to your own hideout at sea. In the middle of the small hideaway lies The Siren, sitting on her rock that juts out from the wall, the ability to feel the roughness on the rock but see the smoothness of her features creates a contrasting feeling. Surrounded by the sky and open water beyond the cove. As one moves forward through the exhibit, a lush forest with a clear opening appears after walking on a pebble path for about an extra 30 feet. Leaves surrounding this secret hideaway, you are able to see the Joy Of Life. The sounds of birds, the smell of foliage, and the feeling of soft grass between your toes makes one feel as though they are at one with the earth. A tree built into the side of the exhibit holds the Joy Of Life on its limb, as though a swing on the branch of a large oak tree was replaced by this large painting. The tangible roughness of the bark allows one to feel like they are in fact in the painting, the greenish-yellow light solidifying the craving to be where the people in the painting are. As one moves away from the soft grass, they are met with an even softer feeling of white bouncy flooring. A longer trampoline-like floor lies under the soft white carpet, making you feel as though you’re walking on air. As you make your way into the purple and blue hues of light from this room. You look around and find white fluffy clouds lining the walls, all cascading into a spot on the ceiling. The Cursed Woman is above you, in the mix of those bright white fluffy clouds. A small breeze and the faint smell of musky vanilla waft across the room, invigorating your senses. The only thing in this room you can see is the woman, along with her presumed lovers, the cloud-covered walls force you to look in her direction. The clouds on the walls slowly flutter with different hues of pink, purple, and blue. As one exits the exhibit, one sees an arrangement of the different textures and floorings blended together until you are back into the normal museum tiles, going to collect your shoes and other personal belongings.
Installation Note:
All of these images have very dark and “moody”, meaning depth-y and mildly foreboding due to not being able to see a broad picture, backgrounds. Where in the forefront the bodies are mainly light and shining, looking quite pure and soft feeling. The brushstrokes in all of the paintings differ, due to them all being different styles of artwork. Two of the three paintings have a different connotation to specifically womens sexualtiy than the other. The Cursed Woman and The Siren. Both putting a negative connotation to the idea of womens sexuality compared to the Joy Of Life, where multiple peolpe are freely expressing naked-ness infront of one another.
Valadons, Joy of Life still maintains a sexual aspect, but in more of a sensual and personal way. Not sexual in the dirty way most think of, but in the self love and comfort kind of way. There is a sense of the male gaze in this painting but it doesnt feel of one in a “predator v.s prey” kind of way. It is once more in an appreciation sense. There doesnt seem to be as much lust or longing in this painting, but there is still an appreciation for sexuality in it. Presumably after a bath, all of the women are drying off and are appreciating themselves. The brushstrokes on the trees allow for a flowyness to connect with the fluidity in the womens bodys as well as the towel like cloth that they are wrapping in. The winding of the tree, and the woman whos arms are outstretched over her head, are so similar in structure that it reminds us of the roots and connection to nature we all have. Hence the reason i chose to display it in a place where you can feel the nature around you.
The heaviness of the brushstrokes in The Siren gives off a rockiness to the water, almost a danger in the water, and if we know anything about sirens, also the danger in the seduction she gives off. Sirens are typically known to lure sailing men in with a beautiful song and then in attempts to take them home(under the ocean) they end up drowning the men and never being able to be truly happy. They gained this temptress label but in reality sirens are generally “cursed” women who just want a romantic interest. But nevertheless this is an incredible piece of artwork that i have chosen for the “Water” section of my exhibit. I felt as though it was essential to bring the feeling of water and, even the feeling of water is in some way tempting, we all usually have this innate desire to touch water whenever we see it.
Placed among the fluffiness of clouds is the only place for an image such as The Cursed Woman to reside. The woman, whose hand clasps the hand of the one kissing her mouth and whose leg contorts outwards as a direct symbol of pleasure. I say one, referring to the figures because it is not strictly said if the figures are in fact male or female, and the hairstyle is that of androgyny, as well as a lack of breasts on the others. The woman is so entangled in the appearance of multiple pleasures occurring at the same time. This feels as more of a symbolic painting as well, because who’s to say that the multiple figures surrounding her aren't just one person but seen in her head as multiple people because that's what the pleasure she's receiving feels like. The idea of pleasure is different for everyone but the “floating in/on the clouds” feeling is a very common theme when talking about sex and pleasure in that respect. The textures in the hair and muscle composition really allude to a pre-raphialism, as well as the almost blotchy background, it looks as though it was stamped with sea sponges to create a bouncy effect.
Citations:
Valadon, Suzanne. Joy of Life. 1911.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joy_of_Life_MET_DT356454.jpg
Accessed 22 Feb. 2023.
Waterhouse, John William. The Siren. 1900
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_William_Waterhouse-The_Siren-1900.jpg Accessed 22 Feb. 2023.
Tassaert, Francois Octave. The Cursed Woman. 1859
https://artincontext.org/the-cursed-woman-painting-by-tassaert/ Accessed 22 Feb. 2023