Garnet 2017

Art Historian: Here we have "Garnet," a charcoal drawing from 2017 by Soey Milk. It strikes me with its hyperrealistic style. The figure, poised on what appears to be a sofa, evokes a very particular, perhaps provocative, mood. I'm intrigued, how do you interpret this work? Editor: The level of detail is pretty astounding. It's definitely a compelling image, but it also makes me a little uncomfortable. The woman is presented in such a... specific way. Art Historian: Precisely! It brings up questions around the gaze. Whose gaze is being centered here? Historically, representations like this, even when seemingly empowering, can be read through the lens of male objectification. Do you think that’s happening here, and can contemporary artists reclaim these older images? Editor: I think that's a really interesting question, especially considering it's a contemporary piece. It’s walking this tightrope between classical beauty and something almost hypersexualized. The choice to depict her in that kind of black lingerie feels almost cliché in how erotic it is. Art Historian: Absolutely, the visual vocabulary speaks volumes. How can an artist subvert those well-established tropes? Could the artist be intentionally playing with these notions to critique them, or do you read the work as complicit with harmful beauty standards? What impact do social media platforms have on artists making the choice to depict images such as this one? Editor: I didn’t think about it as possibly a critique. I suppose I just saw it as another example. But now I wonder if I should spend more time with it and think about its implications and potential impact. Art Historian: Exactly. These kinds of artistic decisions ripple outwards and engage wider conversations about our culture, power structures, and even individual perceptions. The real value might lie in fostering these difficult but necessary discussions. Editor: Thanks for your perspective; I’m definitely going to look at art like this a little differently from now on.