Portrait of an Artist by David Hockney is one of my favorite paintings. My mini-exhibit (which includes Edgar Degas’ The Bath and Romare Bearden’s The Prevalence of Ritual: Baptism) is titled Rituals and Water and explores the way that water is used in both public and private rituals. I think that any time I enter water, whether it be to shower or to swim, I feel calmer and more centered. Here, the person in the pool evokes a sense of serenity that matches the great stretch of nature behind him. This feeling of calm; however, is broken by the man watching from the pool deck. In many ways he plays the role of the visitor plays in that he is an intruder in a ritual, an outsider.
I found your selection of works to be extremely interesting. Although all of the works feature water, each artist depicts water in a variety of ways. I was also intrigued by the tension that exists between the public and the private. Although the man in Hockney’s painting does not interact with the visitor, he is still being watched. In a similar vein, the woman in Degas’ The Bath is, of course, being watched by the artist himself. Finally, there are so many people in Romare Bearden’s composition, that there is absolutely no privacy at all.
I really like your idea of water used in everyday rituals to find serenity and an escape, and also the interaction and of the human body with water. I think the choice of David Hockney’s painting is a great addition because it both includes the use of water for a kind of healing process but there is a disturbance and interruption that is really compelling.
I love this painting, and how you describe being underwater. The way you describe entering water as a ritual is super interesting and true! I never thought about how the presence of the other man disrupts that special underwater feeling that is conveyed.
This is so interesting! The juxtaposition between the clean lines and simplicity of this image with the smudged surface of the Degas and the crowded, spliced surface of the Bearden’s collage creates an unusual dialogue. Although I might not have considered the presence of a viewer in the Bearden, and it is only suggested in the Degas, this one is a direct confrontation with the idea of being watched. I think its a great piece to add to the dialogue you start within your exhibition.