Matrix 1999

Curator: Jenny Saville's “Matrix,” completed in 1999, presents us with a strikingly intimate oil-on-canvas depiction of the human form. Editor: The impasto! It’s almost sculptural, isn't it? The paint is built up so thickly, particularly across the torso, conveying a raw physicality. There's a vulnerability to the subject's gaze. Curator: Absolutely. Saville's use of impasto contributes to the sense of palpable flesh. Furthermore, consider the historical context; Saville emerged as a counterpoint to the idealized bodies prevalent in media during the 1990s. Editor: The painting certainly challenges those notions. The composition pushes the subject right up against the picture plane. We aren't afforded the comfortable distance of a classical nude. What strikes you about that choice? Curator: The proximity forces us to confront the body directly, unabashedly. One might consider it in conversation with expressionist modes, especially its use of figuration, but there's an interesting interplay. How the raw brushstrokes are not chaotic but descriptive in the articulation of the form and flesh. Editor: I agree. Even though it is such thick paint, it describes the volumes quite successfully. Is Saville interested in realism here, do you think? Curator: Realism is probably not quite right. Rather than an effort at capturing a photographical reality, Saville utilizes the physicality of oil paint and deliberately confronting and reinterpreting classical genres to reveal the unvarnished nature of the body in contemporary society. It makes it difficult for us to aesthetically distance ourselves. Editor: It makes me consider the power dynamics between artist and model. Saville is very intentional about power structures embedded within viewing practices and how that translates for female artists portraying male subjects. Curator: A critical intervention, indeed, disrupting the traditional male gaze within art historical convention. It reclaims representation, if you will. Editor: “Matrix” prompts important conversations regarding beauty standards and representation. I think I’ll carry its impact with me. Curator: It's difficult to see the canvas the same way after truly observing Saville’s deliberate handling and consideration of perspective, which speaks to its brilliance.