The female nude in Western art has long reflected the role of women as objects to behold, their averted gaze welcoming the eyes of men. But what does this mean for modern women? In his essay, The Decay of Lying (1889), Oscar Wilde claims that, ‘Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life’. This concept, when applied to the evolution of the female nude, highlights the importance of depictions of strong, unashamed women shaping the female psyche.
The feminist art movement not only challenged the way women were viewed as subjects in works of art, but confronted the perception and expectations of their subordinate roles in society. During this revolutionary time, women were enjoying more freedom than ever and it was inevitable that this would extend to and be reflected in contemporary art (Holt, 2013). Feminist art depicted what needed to change, rather than what had changed. In this way, life imitated art.
The Australian photographer Carol Jerrems constructed gritty, poetic and elusive images of people attempting to find a new way of life and action in the 1970s. The focus on aspects of counter-culture at this time, particularly women’s liberation, made this era a breeding ground for feminist motifs and representations of the female form (QUT Art Museum, 2014).
Jerrem’s photograph, Vale Street, is an intimate group portrait that is both bold and vulnerable, seen through the self-assured manner of the subjects contrasted with the exposure of their bodies. Jerrem’s depiction of everyday people has produced photographs that symbolise the hopes and ambitions of a counter-culture; in this case, female power.
Jerrems set up this photograph, employing her aspiring actress friend and two young men, placing the... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline
Carol Jerrems, Vale Street, 1975. Gelatin silver photograph, printed image 20.2 x 30.3cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of the Philip Morris Arts Grant 1982. © Ken Jerrems and the Estate of Lance Jerrems.
