Felicia Oh
Ryde Secondary College
PRÊT-À-PORTER
Painting
Watercolour and pastel on paper
My body of work, Prêt-à-porter, challenges the stereotyping and compartmentalisation of women as calculating and modest dolls. Instead, the bold shapes and colours of each model's garment in my work express how women are flourishing. The work represents the women as self-assured and hardworking, fighting back against the oppression of the male gaze in the sea of black heads judging from behind the catwalk. The garments reference the evolution of design in the female fashion industry as well as the pitfalls women overcame within each period.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Yves Saint Laurent, Amelia Bloomer, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, Paul Poiret, Del Kathryn Barton, eX De Medici, Jenny Saville.
Marker's Commentary
This large multi panelled artwork presents well-dressed, confident models, on a catwalk bordered by stylised faces of the audience gazing upon them. The panels, forming a triptych, diminish in size horizontally creating depth while the diminishing figures represent a progression of contemporary fashion. The illustrative graphic style of the paintings explores a myriad of colours, lines and patterns, depicting symbols of the evolution of women's achievements in the fashion world. The mark making, from miniscule detail on objects to fingernails on clenched fists and strands of hair, are engaging to an audience. The colour is rich, layered and meticulously applied, while conceptually, the artwork is celebratory of the rise of the independent female. This highly accomplished painting demonstrates synergy between the application of watercolour and the rich symbolism representing women overcoming adversity.