Venus Devouring Her Voyeur, oils on wood, 46x36cm – private collection

I painted this piece as a submission to a group show, from which it was rejected. But rather than hang it up in a closet and cry, I decided to share it on Instagram and write about it.  I felt so strongly about the why of this piece that I didn’t want to let it remain a question mark. Then, I sent it to the gallery, where the right person saw it, heard my words, loved it, and went home with it.

You can read the why below if you like. Fair warning though, it’s a bit of a rant or perhaps a call to arms is more apt…

In Thus Spake Zarathustra, Nietzsche compares women to birds, no cats, no they’re cows at best, Oh and they’re incapable of friendship, too. You’ll notice that the cow is dead and so is this idea. The dog, that bitch is looking forward. An unclothed giant holding out a vulnerable tiny figure, inspired by, but unlike Goya’s work, Saturn Devouring His Son, one is not devouring the other, but rather propping her up so that she, too, might devour her spectators. Not only are the viewers spectators of the painting, but the figures within the painting are spectators of the viewers. The old women silhouetted against the mural of putti figures and staring women in diaphanous gowns are looking on the whole thing with the bemusement of experience and a skepticism of the future. Soft and partially hidden figures cloud the background and peer out into the world cautiously. As far as I can tell, Venus is a somewhat dead comparison for most women in the world today. Most women’s lives resemble very little of anything traditionally goddess like. Traditionally, Venus has been for the people, but art historically, she’s been a docile nude, a figment of man’s ideal, an ideal which has very little to do with reality. She’s due for an update.