f11 Artist Lectures: Seeing in Black and White – Graham French. Thursday November 12th 7-9PM Free Admission

My desire to capture the Landscape started more than 20 years ago. A year long sabbatical from advertising in 1987 cemented the passion which still today continues to flourish.

We will discuss:

• Key elements of composition, how not to see past the edges.

• How to see a black & white image in a colour world, what to look for and how to capitalize.

• Why I always shot in colour even before I had to.

• The move from analogue to digital, and the change in work flow, is there a down side?

• Digital Printing, pros and cons

Join us at Pikto, 55 Mill St, Building 59, The Distillery District.

More info at available at     www.f11project.com/

My desire to capture the Landscape started more than 20 years ago. A year long sabbatical from advertising in 1987 cemented the passion which still today continues to flouri• Digital Printing, pros and cons

‘EMPLOYEES ONLY’ – JESSE LOUTTIT. December 11th – January 13th. Opening Reception, Dec Fri 11th 6pm-9pm

Robyn McCallum: ‘Patrimony’ November 7th – December 11th. Opening Reception Nov Fri 13th. 6pm-9pm

Robyn McCallum

Artist Statement

Appropriation in relation to art is defined as 'the practice or technique of reworking the images or styles contained in earlier works of art, especially (in later use) in order to provoke critical re-evaluation of well-known pieces by presenting them in new contexts, or to challenge notions of individual creativity or authenticity in art."  The reinterpretation of well known works has long been a tradition in fine art, rooted in the renaissance artists’ varying versions of such iconic images as the Last Supper or Madonna and Child. Operating within a more modern context, the images in this series similarly represent the appropriation and re-contextualiztion of art, in particular classical western paintings.

There is one distinct category of European painting in which women are the principal, recurring subject: the nude. Most striking in these images is the implication that the subject is, in fact, aware of being seen by a spectator. In Reclining Bacchante by Trutat for example, we the viewer join the man in spying on his subject, and she in turn looks back at us. Perhaps even more poignant is the example of Susannah and the Elders by Tintoretto. Once again, the viewer joins the elders in spying on Susannah in her bath, however Susannah herself is looking in a mirror.  The mirror is used to represent the supposed vanity of women, however this moralizing is hugely hypocritical. The artist paints the naked woman because the viewer enjoys looking at a naked woman, however by placing a mirror in her hands the artist morally condemns the woman as vain, thereby nullifying the fact that her nakedness was painted for the pleasure of others.  Such is the concept of the male gaze in art.  Indeed most western art has been created with the consideration that the intended viewer is a heterosexual man. The type of female representation that is a product of this concept is a consistent factor in the viewing of western art throughout history.

This series employs more “modern” representations of women to recreate famous paintings from throughout art history. In doing so it illuminates the through-line of female representation that exists art historically: from early fine art paintings to the pop cultural images of the 20th century.  Using magazine ‘pin-ups’ to represent the more modern woman is itself a significant selection, in that these were images unabashedly created with the aim of sexual excitement.  However, one cannot ignore the relationship between these representations of women and the equally objectifying nature of the historical paintings being re-contextualized. Many of the high art paintings created throughout history were done so as pornography in an era preceding film, photography and the Internet. It is only through the passage of time that “high art” and its acquired status has succeeded in distancing itself from this fact.

The constructions in this series are a distillation of fine art imagery.  Including only the subjects of the original artworks, these re-contextualizations can be looked upon without the reverence of the masterpieces they aim to appropriate. Thus the relationship between the men and women these works represent, as well as their collective relationship to the viewer, is singled out and emphasized.

Modern media is under constant scrutiny over its portrayal of women and for the effect that these representations have on society, however it is important to note that this is not a new phenomenon. Drawing attention to this seemingly omnipresent issue is an important step in the deconstruction of the way in which women are traditionally represented in art, and the effect that this form of representation has upon both male and female viewers.