The Corset 

Richard Lindner made this watercolor painting, The Corset, in 1954. It depicts a disrobed woman in a state of undress or perhaps, redress, holding open a garment that seems both armor and fetish. Born in Germany, Lindner fled to Paris and then New York during World War II. His experience of war and exile shaped his artistic vision. He often portrayed figures in states of social and psychological tension. His work is frequently associated with the rise of consumer culture, mass media, and new forms of urban life. The Corset has visual cues from both cubism and surrealism and evokes a sense of alienation and psychological fragmentation through its subject’s complex interplay of vulnerability and strength. It reflects the post-war cultural landscape marked by anxieties about identity, sexuality, and power. To better understand this artwork, look to popular magazines, the history of fashion, and histories of social and cultural norms around sexuality. Each of these will bring new insights to the politics of imagery.