Awakening
(36” x 48” acrylic and polymer painting on canvas, mounted on board)
This painting is both a reaction and a response to a Jan Jose Museum of Art 1997 exhibit of Manuel Neri's sculpture and painting. I was very moved by the power of his sculptural forms and the paired away expressiveness of his figures. Much of my artwork to that time had explored various methods of describing the female figure. As I left the exhibit I read the guest comment log. I was surprised to read one woman's criticism of Neri's armless figures as a degradation of women. She viewed the forms as brutally expressing what she saw as Neri's projected violence toward women. Artistically, I had viewed the work as a move toward minimalism done with a positive intent. This woman's opposite view startled me. In the weeks that followed, her interpretation haunted me and in lengthy discussions with my wife, I formed a new, feminist inspired view. During this period, my work focused on the life issues that women face, not exclusively on form. Men who are raised by women who don't teach them to be male feminist can take a long time to learn this life lesson.
This painting is both a reaction and a response to a Jan Jose Museum of Art 1997 exhibit of Manuel Neri's sculpture and painting. I was very moved by the power of his sculptural forms and the paired away expressiveness of his figures. Much of my artwork to that time had explored various methods of describing the female figure. As I left the exhibit I read the guest comment log. I was surprised to read one woman's criticism of Neri's armless figures as a degradation of women. She viewed the forms as brutally expressing what she saw as Neri's projected violence toward women. Artistically, I had viewed the work as a move toward minimalism done with a positive intent. This woman's opposite view startled me. In the weeks that followed, her interpretation haunted me and in lengthy discussions with my wife, I formed a new, feminist inspired view. During this period, my work focused on the life issues that women face, not exclusively on form. Men who are raised by women who don't teach them to be male feminist can take a long time to learn this life lesson.