Michelangelo was a great artist and i discovered this image online. The reason i find this piece interesting is the figure depicting a woman is very masculine and shows a defined physic more characteristic of an idealized male anatomy as opposed to a female anatomy . It is believed that he used male models as source material for his work.
`Her muscular body reflects Michelangelo’s habit of working from a male model even for his female nudes. In fact, several of the artist’s sketches for Night, using a male model, are still preserved.’ (Ruehring , L M.)
Whilst researching about Jodie marsh the first thing that comes up in relationship to her is the term Glamour Girl. This instantly reminded me of the research i conducted through out my dissertation about Lucian Freud and his use of the term girl as a title for his female nudes. e.g Naked Girl, 1966.
The Title itself Naked Girl, invokes Freud’s attitude towards this woman in-particular. He gives her the title of girl, under valuing her maturity. Degrading her status. If Freud respected her or believed she was mutually equal to him, he would have acknowledged her in the title or at least identified her as a woman. Instead, he regards her as being less superior to him. Ultimately her personality is lost and identity disregarded.
This intrigues me as to why it is socially accepted for glamour models to be identified as girls. They are women. The definition of glamour girl in Oxford Dictionaries.com is;- A fashionable, attractive young woman, especially a model or film star.
These women are constantly in the public eye. Displayed as page 3 girls. Attracting the male viewer, making them a sexual object, and intentionally positioned to flatter there assets. They seduce the viewer with there beauty and gaze which appeals to the male desire. The women chosen to represent glamour girls are socially accepted in the public eye because they are classed as desirable objects. But are ultimately degrading themselves by allowing there status of being a women be demoted to a girl.
The former party girl and famous model Jodie Marsh, transformed her slender physic for a ripped muscular form. Pushing her body to its absolute limits. She trained for 8hours per day over 7 days, for 8 gruelling weeks. Jodie Marsh from Essex finished 5th in a qualifier for the Natural Physique Association British Championships.
There was a lot of controversy about her body shape and I managed to find her intiview that she did with Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on this morning.http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=this+morning+jodie+marsh&FORM=VIRE8#view=detail&mid=50595EF9E7148AD34AC750595EF9E7148AD34AC7
Before and after.
With the female nude society recognise beauty and accept it in the public eye. With regards to painting the female nude, artists have portrayed there idealised versions of beauty and truth, and suppose one of the things that has made me look more into body building women is too see if society believes that this change in women’s physic is still beautiful, or is it frowned upon because they are different and do not follow the traditional norm of purity and submissive.
Jenny Saville said that the best way for her to paint her subjects was to understand all she could about that chosen subject. For example if she was painting a women with stretch marks she would research medical books to understand why they accrue so she could create a accurate conclusion.
Taking a page from Savilles book I have done a little research of my own about my chosen subject on female body builders. Majority of people that I have spoken to when discussing Female bodybuilders has resulted in a debate about steroid use. Because it is not the natural order for a female to be a big as a man, I looked for stories about women that had taken steroids and came across this article on the daily mail online website.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2471523/Steroids-turned-man–The-female-bodybuilder-drug-habit-left-penis-facial-hair.html
The Degree Show is fast approaching, and its time to stop and think about how and what we are going to display and where. I have made up four canvases that are about 5ft high. On these I am going to paint my female nudes. The idea I have to display them is to fix them onto brackets that extend them out from the wall at an angle so they are leaning down. This effect will compel the audience to look up at these muscular women. Thus creating power and status to the image. The figure dominating male or female viewers that gaze upon them.
Jenny Saville did something similar to this idea in one of her works Prop-1993. This monumental work depicts a unflattering image of a female nude that has been propped on a stool looking down at the audience. Forcing the viewer to look up at this unconventional woman, giving the subject the control, and to dominate the audience.
