THE FEMALE GAZE By Taylor Transtrum
Born out of an idea conceived in 2017 “when women and women’s concerns were experiencing a notable resurgence,” Gallery Henoch’s upcoming exhibition, The Female Eye, sheds light on several women artists without boxing them in.
“For those of us at Gallery Henoch, featuring the work of our female artists has become a means to underscoring the talent and resilience of women everywhere,” says curator Nancy Hicks. “We hope to point toward a better future, one which affords women, especially women artists, increasingly greater visibility.” The exhibition features the pieces of 11 women artists who work in a variety of styles—six of whom focus on still lifes and landscapes; three are figurative painters, and the other two, Hicks says, don’t fit “neatly” into one style.
“Because the artists in the current exhibition are female, there is no doubt that gender affects the way they experience themselves in the world, and thus the way they see and portray it,” says Hicks. “The title of this exhibition, The
Female Eye, refers to this phenomenon. Yet within this group of 11 artists there is no ‘women’s art,’ only women who do art, each conveying her own personal vision. In presenting the work of our artists who are women, we seek to demonstrate the diverse ways in which each creates her art.”
Among the works in the show is Sharon Sprung’s introspective painting, Serendipity. “I have always felt that my paintings are diffuse self-portraits—and that particles of my inner and outer life as a female artist are reflected in my work,” she says. “The composition, color and placement of the hands and the arm of the sofa creates a sensual, circular architecture. All these elements of the work coalesce in Serendipity.”
Patricia Traub’s Rescuer with Lemur, African Wild Dog, Two Rare Poultry shows a naked woman sitting with endangered creatures. Even though Traub’s subject is nude, Rescuer manages to refrain from the too often voyeuristic portrayal of women in art.
“My paintings are not gender specific, but I have always admired and worked with women who have committed their lives to animal conservation,” she says. “I focus on contemporary issues of animal welfare, conservation and [the] interdependent relationship between animals and humans. Inspired by the painterly qualities of 15th-, 16th- and 17th-century Italian and Dutch painters, I combined both art history and animal advocacy. In this painting, the female figure is placed in a classic iconic pose surrounded by endangered mammals and rare poultry which she protects.”
Taking a lighthearted approach to animal subjects, Elizabeth McGhee’s Feeder Fish presents her take on a visual pun. “It really is a commentary on looking—the fish looking at the goldfish crackers; me, as the artist, composing the scene; and the viewer seeing me looking at the fish looking at the crackers,” she says. “As I am fond of saying, not all art has to be serious.”
A portion of the proceeds from The Female Eye, which runs from September 19 through October 22, will benefit breast cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “Breast cancer is everyone’s concern, but it is especially a women’s concern,” says Hicks. “Around the world women have had to fight for proper recognition, for humane treatment and for appropriate medical care. We want to emphasize the importance of committing to worthy causes like this.”