Kristen Copham at the NY Studio Gallery. Photo by E.B.
“Do women have to be naked to get into U.S. museums? Less than 3% of the artists in the Met. Museum are women, but 83% of the nudes are female.” I have this hanging above my desk, compliments of a Guerrilla Girls’ ad. Artist Kristen Copham is responding to just this imbalance.
I spoke with Kristen for the approximately 45 minutes it took her to paint my portrait – the 829th painting in a series of 1,000 that she hopes to complete by the end of this year. Kristen is the owner and director of the NY Studio Gallery, at the corner of Stanton and Suffolk in the LES. Just as she started painting me (I volunteered for her project), she began telling me about a series of male nudes that she is working on, saying “It’s my response to women being objectified.”
Some of the series is currently on display at H & F Fine Arts, just outside Washington D.C. The series contains nude paintings of about 25 male artists, plus three more works in progress. Kristen says that she’s had a hard time getting many male artists to sit for her. Apparently, “Guys have a hell of a lot more body image issues than I realized.” The portraits all reflect the subject’s own artwork in some way. Kristen’s strives “to create a work that represented their work and who they are. Instead of approaching each artist as an object in the painting, I approached them as a subject and gave them a voice.” Like many art students, when Kristen was studying, she too would model. But there are lots of artists who have only been on one side of the canvas, and as a result, treat their models as objects instead of individuals.
One of Kristen’s project goals is to “take people doing artwork using models and give them a feel for being in the other person’s shoes.” She has, on occasion, met with some serious snark from potential models, saying things like “I’ll sit naked for you if you’re also naked.” As part of her project, Kristen created a 2005 calendar of the male nudes.
See the works for yourself at the NYSG website.
Comments
As long as we keep with us the belief that we, as women, are a "victim" of such objectification, the longer the notion exists. You keep it alive by complaining about it.
Having studied a good amount of art history, the sheer number of male artists dating back to BC until the mid-20th century have significantly outweighed the females artists, period. This might explain the reason the Met has so few, or that most of them are men, and naturally you will find nude women, as this was usually their primary subject for painting. It is also based on what the Met is ABLE to acquire. It seems really dumb to criticize the Met for this, as opposed to an institution that features more contemporary art.
Thanks for your insights Lesley - I do think it's important to not confuse victimization with objectification - though they can often be related, and also to consider the lines between painting humans as objects and as subjects, which is what Kristen's work proactively explores based on her own experiences as a subject/object. Kristen's work also explores and playfully challenges traditional gender assumptions about those roles and lines. I hear your point about being critical of contemporary art, rather than the Met - and I am hoping that that's what this post is opening doors to do! If you were irked by the Guerrilla Girls' quote, you might want to find out more about what they believe and do, as the one quote is a very tiny sampling cut out from a magazine many years ago! Their website is guerrillagirls.com.
I'd like to comment by saying that I don't think you are keeping some misconception alive by complaining about it. By all means speak freely if that's what you feel. I am a male who has posed for women before and have found it to be liberating in the sense that I actually liked a woman to look at me plus there's a risk involved anyway of going against the grain by doing nudity. I liked doing the nudity and if some view it as a reaction to sexismor something then so be it. I did something I wanted to do of my own free will and discovered that actually it was kind of fun and I kind fo welcomed the free exchange of reactions within reason of course to it. I'd love to pose for you or other females for the same reason
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!