Dimensions: support: 1522 x 1522 mm frame: 1615 x 1615 x 76 mm
Copyright: © John Lessore | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have 'Diana and Actaeon at the Byam Shaw' by John, a large oil painting in the Tate collection. I’m struck by the figures; they seem very self-aware, almost posed. What's your interpretation? Curator: It’s interesting you say that. Considering John’s work within the context of late 20th-century feminist art, what could this self-awareness signify? Think about the male gaze and the historical depiction of women. Editor: So, Diana and her nymphs aren't passive objects, but actively performing for the viewer? Curator: Precisely! Or perhaps, they are reclaiming their own narratives, challenging the power dynamics inherent in the myth itself. How does that shift your understanding of the painting? Editor: I hadn't considered the feminist angle, that adds a whole new layer. Thanks!
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/john-diana-and-actaeon-at-the-byam-shaw-t06691
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This was inspired by Titian's painting, 'Diana and Actaeon' in the National Gallery of Scotland. It was the product of a teaching residency by Lessore at the Byam Shaw School of Art in north London, when the artist was teaching composition. Lessore got three of his students to act as models and to adopt the poses of the figures in Titian's painting. Lessore and his other students then amalgamated these poses into the composition of the paintings on which they were working. Unlike other Titian-inspired works in Wilkie's collection this work was therefore not a commission. Instead Wilkie acquired it after seeing it exhibited at the Royal Academy. Gallery label, September 2004
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