Are you loving it?

Abstract

Artist's statement: "The position of the body allows the viewer to feel as if the body could be his or hers, forcing the viewer to take on a role in this narrative. I think forcing the viewer into the painting was successful; however, I wish the body took up more space in the canvas. The most dominant color in the painting is minty green that is not only the background but also the color that creeps into the body and bag through under layers. The colors and the way the objects are painted are all very soft and sensitive feeling. The coke bottle is painted differently and is visually in contradiction to the rest of the painting as it is intended to demonstrate a more masculine force coming into the figure and the painting. The explicit nature of the action taking place in the painting opposes the sensitive and loving treatment of paint on the canvas, forcing the viewer to question the mood and intention of the painting. Unfortunately, this subtlety between way of painting and content to confuse intention may have been too subtle - I would like to solve this balance in a future painting. It was my aim to have an aggressive image referring to sexual assault as the backbone of the piece but to portray it in such a way that is both funny painted in a way that confuses my audience into questioning whether or not it is only aggressive and only non consensual. I do think my treatment of paint was successful and really enjoyed treating each object in the painting with a different hand and technique allowing each to have its own language."

This is a digital photograph of Morgan Kulesza's still life painting. It was submitted as an assignment in the spring 2016 Intermediate/Advanced Painting class taught by Professor Erin Harmon.