REVIEW: Gagosian, Jenny Saville
Jenny Saville "Ancestors"
Gagosian West 21st Street, New York May 3 - July 20, 2018
Gagosian’s current show, Ancestors, showcases some of Jenny Saville's newer pieces portraying a variety of figures that show the evolution of the human body over the course of history. Influenced by classical sculpture, Saville aimed to create sculptural elements to her works with thick brush strokes, alluding to the texture and mass of raw flesh, while also utilizing thinner outlines to portray the shape of the human form. In Saville’s piece entitled, Fate I, her technique is quite evident as aspects of the figure are indistinguishable, while the foot and right breast are both detailed and painted with a thicker, more intentional technique. Saville has always had a fascination with the human body and has taken it upon herself to study the internal as well as the external; she has observed plastic surgery operations in order to enhance her view of the body and its capabilities. Her works reveal the extent of her knowledge as there are visible shifts in her techniques which express the eerie, less cared about, internal aspects of a human body as well as its more comfortable outline.
Ancestors not only derives on a sculptural influence, but also a variety of mediums throughout art history. Spanning from intricate charcoal sketches to exquisite oil paintings, her pieces combine centuries of artists' views of the human body in a single show. Every figure, regardless of their historical influence, is pictured nude for the purpose of capturing the body in its most raw and vulnerable state. Influenced by the ancient Persian love story, Vis and Ramin, Saville’s Vis and Ramin I exposes these two characters in the nude, advancing their human body into its rawest form. Additionally, the figures come from various backgrounds and cultures to portray the diversity of humans not specifically recognized in art history. In her piece aforementioned, she hones in on the importance of recognizing a variety of cultures, such as the love story written by Persian poet Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani. Saville's work is often spontaneous, unexpected, and seemingly wild. There is an evident juxtaposition between the impulsivity of her brush strokes and the intricate details in the fleshy limbs. Her pieces often look unfinished due to the many floating figures and indifferentiable body parts, alluding to the idea that the depiction of the human body is still subject to more change in the future of art. The works within Ancestors touch on a multitude of intriguing topics, exploiting the ability of art, and the behavior of artists, to evolve over time.
Emma Klein is currently a rising senior at Marymount High School in Los Angeles, California. She is passionate about studio art and art history, intending to study both in college. She often explores the female human body through a variety of mediums including, but not limited to, oil paint and pen and ink. She can be contacted via email or Instagram at emmaklein40@gmail.com and @emmakl3in.