Balthus
Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, 2023
A response to Balthus, power, and the gaze.
Balthus is a 36 x 48-inch oil painting that responds to the controversial works of the artist Balthus. His portraits of a young girl named Thérèse sparked questions about the power dynamics in art. In this piece, I place myself in one of her poses, but with key changes. My gaze is direct, removing the passivity of the original. My daughter stands behind me, looking out the window—curious, yet still under my protection. A third figure, a male nude, leaps from a painting on the wall. This shift in gaze and subject disrupts the traditional narrative and reclaims the power.
