The Geurrilla Girls campaign about the lack of women artists being shown compared to the high number of women being conveyed as works or art in galleries. My aim in my writings is to convey the stories of the women that are not told but their bodies are showing.
The Geurrilla Girls practically show what I aim to make through my writings. The Geurrilla Girls use soicety and current issues as their reasoning for their actions.
‘Many people believe that art is special and exempt from conventional scrutiny. While art may be transcendent, the art world should be subject to the same standards as anywhere else.’ (Geurrilla Girls, 1995 p.22)
‘If a masterpiece can be made only by a master and a master is defined as ‘a man having control or authority’ you can see what we’re up against. The word ‘Genius’ is related to the latin word for testicls. Maybe that explains why its so rarely used to describe a woman.’ (Geurrilla Girls, 1995, p.22)
I wanted to add these quotes in particular because they sum up the obvious about words and sayings that surround us and are used so widely in the gallery and in 21st century context regularly, however The Geurilla Girls give it a new perspective.
Secondly I wanted to research into the models Matisse used and find out if there was any knowledge about them and if so how detailed is the information or are they regarded as ‘figures’ to Matisse.
‘Prosepective partner for Matisse in this new girl at the furthest possible remove from the ample, apple cheeked models he liked himself. At all events she was soon posing regularly at the Hotel de la Mediterrariee. Antoninette Arnoud was19 years old pale, slender and supple with quintessential urban indoor chic and the kind of responsive intelligence Matisse required at this point from a model. Matisse drew Arnoud dressed and undress, reading or lounging through their work sessions but moostly gazing gravely straight at him.’ (Spruling, 2005, p.223)
I found details on the model that he majority of Matisse sketches were of in the The Usher. Her name was Antoinette Arnould and she was nineteen years old. There was little information on how she became Matisse’ model and there is nothing on her personal life or her opinions on his artwork. This has enabled me to explore this in my writings and be able to tell the stories that the models were not permitted to talk about. In my writings I will use the information that I have found but majority of it I will create the unotld stories from the information that has not be written but what I interpret in the sketches.
Works Cited
Geurrilla Girls (1995) Confessions of Geurilla Girls, London, Pandora
Spurling, Hilary, (2005) Life of Henry Matisse volume 2 1909-1954, London, Penguin Books.