Abstract
The grotesque as a concept is at the same time both undefinable and specific. When referring to art and aesthetics, it often includes imagery that is composite, strange, disgusting, and even at times demonic. While the aesthetic of the grotesque has changed over the centuries, the modern grotesque is strongly connected to the body, and specifically uses the body as a medium or a subject within the work. Common motifs include composites, medical imagery, religious imagery, and flesh, meat, or blood. This thesis considers how the grotesque aesthetic in contemporary art serves as a rejection of and a counternarrative to traditional depictions of the female body and the white male gaze in the art world. Works analyzed include those by Carolee Schneemann, Jenny Saville, ORLAN, Wangechi Mutu, and Doreen Garner. This paper also examines how their work is a result of an exploration of contrasting Freudian theory with feminist theory in the late 20th century and into the 21st century. Further connections will be made between these works and concepts such as the abject, psychoanalysis, and the semiotics of the female body drawing from the writings of scholars such as Julia Kristeva, and Elizabeth Grosz.
How to Cite
Helms, S., (2020) “Flesh Meet Body: An Exploration of the Use of the Grotesque Aesthetic by Contemporary Female Artists”, Capstone, The UNC Asheville Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship 33(2).
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