Conetmporary Art

CONTEMPORARY

JENNY SAVILLE

Jenny Saville is one of the female artists of the late-20th century who has truly reinvented the self-portrait. “Her work is a textbook example of the way contemporary women artists have expanded the self-portrait tradition, in this case to raise questions about accepted ideals of beauty in fine art and life” (Borzello 179). No longer is the self-portrait ideal to the values of society. Instead, the modern self-portrait is not restricted in vision and form. Saville definitely breaks any boundaries meant to stop women from exploring all parts of their self-identities. “Saville’s work interrogates our perceptions of the female body in challenging ways. To use the self in this way is to come full circle in the questioning of fixed identity and the body” (Meskimmon 125). She challenges the male fantasy of the perfect body and opens doors to alternative notions of beauty. 

Jenny Saville “Branded”

"Branded" is one example of Saville using her own face on top of her enlarged body. Here, the obese body is raw and shows every imperfection. The body is inscribed with words such as "delicate," 'supportive,' 'irrational,' 'decorative,' and 'petite.' I think that these words could be a kind of dialogue in Saville's mind or words that one thinks about when viewing a body in all its naturality. She grips the folds of her skin as a kind of gesture that would be individually interpreted by the viewer. The body faces the viewer with purpose and does not conform to the notion of a passive object to be viewed, but is instead very in your face. "Saville's work interrogates our perception of the female body in challenging ways. To use the self in this way is to come full circle in the questioning of fixed identity and the body" (Meskimmon 1)

Jenny Saville "Plan"

Saville painted the body with contour lines similar to those on a topographical map. She looks directly at the viewer. The marks a similar to that of a surgeon's pen. I think that this...