Jenny Saville

“I want to be a painter of modern life, and modern bodies”

Background

• Born: 7th May 1970• Nationality: British, born in

Cambridge• Education: Glasgow School of Art• Discovered by Charles Saatchi(art

collector), who bought her entire Degree Show

• Associated with Young British Artists• Painting “Strategy(south Face/Front

Face/ North Face)” is cover of album for Manic Street Preachers, “Journal for Plague Lovers”

Style• Traditional figurative oil painting• Painterly style compared to Lucian

Freud and Rubens• ‘Larger than life’ paintings• Her palette is very strong, which gives

the skin of her models a very textured, intense look, which emphasises the mass of the body

• Focuses mainly on the female figure and face but occasionally focuses on transgender people as well

• Much of her research for her work includes photographs and sketches of trauma victims, deformity correction, diseases and transgender patients.

“Juncture” (1994)Oil on canvas11x6ft, 3.35x1.83

Influences

• Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)• Born in Germany• Old Masters, Baroque period• Known for painting full bodied

women with vivid colours• Very popular, receiving

commissions from royalty and nobility

“The Fall of Man” (1628-29)

“Propped” (1992)Oil on canvas7x6 ft, 2.13x1.83m

“Propped”(1992)

• Body far more prominent than the head• Looking down her nose at the viewer, hands clawing thighs• Exaggerates Saville’s size with a fish eye lense• Discoloured skin, making it look bruised and lumpy- bluish

shadows emphasising this• Text is scratched onto the surface of the canvas but is

backwards, mirrored:“If we continue to speak in this sameness- speak as men have spoken for

centuries, we will fail each other again”

• Argues against society’s expectations and personal perspectives- correcting pervious painters and their image of women.

“Reverse” (2002-03)Oil on canvas7x8 ft, 2.13x2.44m

“Entry” (2003-04)Oil on canvas7.88x6.27 ft, 2.4x1.9m

“Stare” (2004-05)Oil on canvas10x8.21ft, 3.05x2.5m

Choose a second Jenny Saville artwork to analyse and research.