REPRESENTATIONS OF THE HUMAN FIGURE: I , IDEOLOGY, REALITY. Deborah Margaret Bell A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of A rts. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the re­ quirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Fine Arts. Johannesburg 1985 DECLARATION I declare that thi* dissertation i* my own, una.ded w o rk . It is being mubmitt; the degree of Waiter of A rt* in Fine Arts in the University the Witwatersrand, Johannfiburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination in any other university. Deborah Margaret Bell day of November, 1985. ABSTRACT This research, which consists of p un tin g * and drawings, and a theoretical dissertation, is essentially an exploration of the dialectical relationship between theory and p e Both the paintings and the dissertation m \ estigate various ways in which the human body is represented through painterly means, stressing the di'ference between a erebral (detached \ isinn, arid a physical \isceral response these alternative approaches a^e studied ir, relatior.ship tc- the b'Howirg The development of figurative convents,ns which reflect ideological principles such as the relaii\p social position of w »man, as opposed to men, in western society Psychoanalytical theories regartTng the importance of images of the body in the visual arts, and the difference between ideal representations which deny certain aspects such as carnality and mortality, which people fear in connection with their own bodies, and representations which exist outside these ideal conventions, and serve as explorations uf theae subconscious desires and fears I would like to acknowledge my gratitude for the critu ism and advice given to me by Professor Crump, lerem. e King, and Penny S'opia, who have al: acted as su p rr\ isors at different stages in this research. I would also like to thank Nnbeit Hodgms 'or I us in\ aluable sup- port as friend and critic. The financial assistance i ' ndered to me by I c Human Sciences Research Council, and the Lm versity of the Wilwatersrand (in the form of a Senioi Bursary) is also y a tr fu lly acknowledged. PREFATORY NOTE. This dissertation accompanies a body of paintings and drawings which were executed over the period of four year*, 1981 - 1985. T he theoretical research undertaken forthis degree and the course that the painting followed were closely linked. 'm tially, the theory and the concomitant reading influenced the directions investigated by the practical work, but the explorative nature of the act of painting presented new conce n& which in turn deter­ mined the kind of research and reading undertaken: practice and theory were reveled. Eventually however, they were so conjom?d that they constituted a kind of dialogue . Although the subject of this dissertation might be said to be the continuing interaction between the theory and th<! practical work, the dissertation is presented in two halves. The first section deal* with the many diverse ideas that were researched and con­ sidered; the second illustrates how these ideas came together in the paintings and drawings, and sometimes to what degree each of the basic ideas is present in, and influential upon, the practical work* presented Because of the subjective nature of the practical research, and its attendant ideas of creativity, intuition, memory and experience - as well as the subsequent personal analysis and description of the work (which is dependent on the fact that the artist and writer are one and the same person) there is the problem of the lan­ guage and style of w riting to be used in the dissertation. I have decided, after delioeritions over terminology such as the candi­ date', the art:%t the author etc , that in those ses where oersonal experience and ideas are central to the arqumi it being presented, that the personal pronoun would most fittingly be used. I am both the artist and the w riter, and these are my interpretations and idea*. However, a detached critical style will be utilised wnere possible. The work is a device that the artist uses to discover whore the boundar\ between the acknowledged aid unacknowl­ edged aspec+L * his own imaginative activity lie*. Thi* remains move. _,i , permeable, wh, - tne work is still in progress, but at soon as the work - . complete, it become# defining. Liam Hudson„ Bodies of Knowledge, p .45. CONTENTS PAGE Introduction 1 PART ONE 5 Chapter One: Ideology 6 Chapter Two: Reality 44 Chapter Three: Art 52 Illustrations: Figs . 1 -16 PART TWO 80 Notes on the \Vork submitted for the Degree 82 Coneiu- ig Remarks 132 Illustrations* Plate* and figs 1 7 55 Bibliography 134 contents INTRODUCTION. This dissertation is essentially a consideration of how theories and ideologies considered by, and the experiences of, one individual aiming at creativity, became transformed into paintings. Although this was obviously an integrated experience one of mirrors re­ flecting m irrors, so to speak, the actual form of this dissertation is divided into two separate halves Part One is the presentation of a collection of differing ideas and theories, while Part 1 wo is « ) illustration of how the paintings embody a constellation, or constellations of these icmas. Thus, in Part One. the theories presented are advanced not as arguments to fu rth e r detailed scholarly research, but are shown as they existed in the painter t creative continuum: they demon­ strate thmr contribution to the paintings submitted for this de­ gree. 4s such, the\ should not read as following a logical linear progression towards a conclusion, nor even as theories rigidly tested for their truth or applicability, but rather as a layering or accumulation of diverse m»thodolog,es and theories which reflect a diversity of personal mteres A painters mind is a mulcn a computer.' There is, however, an important 'bread that weaves through the research: that is, considerate ( relevant to this submission) of how images of the body have been ; , r.smf ed m Western visual tra d itio n . The point of departure for this submission was an inter t ,n the way in which the female, as opposed to the male, was represented, 1 Robert Hodgins, 1985. Private co nrsauon with the author. I ntro d u c tio n 1 and how certain conventions developed in European art, and later in the mass media, which could be seen to reaffirm the relative position* of the sexe* in the ideologies of Western society. However, through exploration* in the practical work, and a shift in the painting medium, another concern presented itself. That is, how paint quality ould affect the way in which images of the human figure are apprehended. This led to an investigation of the differences between a detached contemplation (or cerebral seeing) and a more physical identification betveen the spectator and the w o rk . The paint medium changed from enamel to oil. The different properties of these two paints influenced the way of working. The enamel pamt tended to 'nduce a no re detailed finished type of pamtmg, whilst the viscosity of oil cahed for a more idiosyncratic manipulation This change in paint also engendered a change in scale. The enamel paint, with its ability for de­ scriptive detail was far more suited to a small format, whereas the physical handling solicited by the oil paint required a larger arena. A smaller format invites contemplation, as the eye can remain steady, and absorb the whole seen* at once looking at a larger scale, on the other hand, roui.erm the experience of visually and physically exploring the w \ The notion of a cerebral seeing, or t' r as I will now call it, was seen to be closely tied to a I urr i . contention of painting which makes use of a one point persp* ^ ,,,d the technique of This term has been coined by N rr., a Bryson, Vision and Painting. p 95. Introduction. applying paint in a manner where the process of painting is not apparent, to as not to disrupt the credibility of the illusion. This type of painting present: a way of seeing which reaffirm* the statu# of the spectator as the centre and hence owner of the world which i* offered to him' by the painfng. It was also recognised that this male ga/e was an important aspect in the creation of the images of the fema.e nude as sex object The opposing means of apprehension, which I shall term the I'jacHra/, deals with those aspects of painting that cannot easily be described through intellectual analysis, and pertains to a more subjective gut understanding of a work which is explicated in th# manner of its working; and in which the palpability of the pamt carries a meaning over and above the subject it is describ­ ing Unlike the work which invites the Gaze, and offers an idealised vision of the world, paintings which elicit a Visceral responds serve to remind the viewer uf his her own body. A study of various theories dealmy with a psychoanalytic analysis of art. and how a spectator relates to painting in terms of his her own body (through concerns of inside outside', part object'/ whole-object ) suggested that this more real' as opf>osed to ideal response toart could evoke direct physical associations of eroticism, carnality, and mortality. Although the directionthat the practical and theoretical work followed, developed through a symbiotic relationship m which each ' And the notion that this spectator is essentially male is a very important aspect of the convention. See Chapter One. Introduction 3 influenced the other they are presented in th.s dissertation in two halve* suggestive of cause and effect.