I made a truly exciting discovery while searching flickr for images on the Commons: the American Library of Congress has a catalogue of photographs featuring women working at the Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, California during World War II. These images remind me strongly of Norman Rockwell’s paintings of Rosie the Riveter (below) and the less well known Liberty Girl.
Norman Rockwell
Rosie the Riveter
1943
The Saturday Evening Post Cover, 29 May 1934
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No Vacancy gallery was crowded and noisy on opening night of ‘A Handful of Civilised Friends’, three of its walls hung with ornately framed paintings and photographs and the forth glass wall kept out the cold autumn night. Katrina Rhodes’ paintings make up three quarters of the exhibition and a final section features her photographs, vintage and water marked. At first glance the subject of her work appears to be an anthropomorphised history of monarch-like figures, a sort of royal portraiture. The anthropomorphising is in the form of ducks, instead of human heads, and human hands instead of wings. The brush work is fine and all have a subtle mysterious quality to them.
Above: Valentyne
Acrylic on cotton
Image from the26thletter.com.au.
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When I visited Tolarno Galleries it was quiet and almost deserted. Nothing hinted at the 500 strong crowds which had piled in for the opening night, nothing except the director’s lost voice. In the silence I contemplated the thirteen Henson photographs. I was drawn to the far corner and Untitled 2009/2010 (#11) and found that it encapsulated Henson’s interest in artworks of the past, statuary and the body as a sight for more than sexuality.
A red haired figure fills the frame with her head bent forwards and bare shoulders cropped at the chest. Light falls from behind her, illuminating a flame red strand of her hair and white skin under her neck. Her chin and profile are almost in silhouette, but there is enough light that we notice the figure’s closed eyes and reflective withdrawn expression. Shadows mottle the skin of the nude figure making it look like marble. There are blues, purples and greens swirling on the skin of the figures in this series, however in Untitled 2009/2010 (#11) stands out, her skin is creamy, life filled.
She is surrounded by darkness; her hair is absorbed into the black background, which contrasts with a wisp of red hair. Her pose is has something in common with Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (c. 1486). Though her head is tilted further forward, this model is posed at a similar angle to Venus. Her shoulders are bare like Venus’s and her age and fiery hair are similar to The Birth of Venus. There are differences, however, Venus looks at the viewer and the model in Untitled 2009/2010 (#11) looks down. Is this a modern Venus we see? And if so why does she look away?
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