Frances Ferdinands

Insider
acrylic on canvas
48 x 72 in.

This painting is a version of a late 19th C. – early 20th C. European painting juxtaposed with a 1950s women’s fashion ad. It is essentially a portrait of the “female object” and “art object” juxtaposed that intimates issues of the viewer’s gaze and the cachet of ownership.

The super-imposition of a line of text over both panels both critiques and alludes to the commonalities which traverse the worlds of haute couture and fine art. The mix of text and image are also reminders of the commodification aspects of both fashion and art.

This diptych is designed to allow for a re-appraisal of distinctions maintained between ‘art’ and ‘advertising’, as well as a re-assessment of ideals such as originality, beauty, desire, and culture shared by both the fashion and art worlds.

© Frances Ferdinands