The Power of THE GAZE
PERSEPHONE
5” x 5”
©2022 Linda Carol Risso-Fadrowski
There is a lot of discussion in some realms about the “male gaze” and the “female gaze.” All of this discussion has to do with the painter, photographer, film director, collagist, and other artists’ way of depicting characters, especially women, in their works of art. If you care to read more about this take on the GAZE, I’ll refer you to this article by Girinandini Singh, https://www.stirworld.com/think-opinions-the-art-of-the-female-gaze-what-is-it.
The GAZE I’m presenting in this article is about the gaze from inside a piece of artwork and how that GAZE affects the viewer. How do we relate to the eyes of the character(s) in a collage or painting or photograph?
In my collage, Persephone, I exaggerated the size of the eyes, but kept the gaze looking to the right side of the frame. Persephone is mysterious, and although perfectly capable of looking at you directly, as any Queen of the Underworld would; in this collage she looks deep in meditative thought. The depth of her Inner World is represented by the deeply detailed landscape in the background. The book in her arms is titled, The Witches’ Dream; another suggestion of her dreamy state of being in this moment. She cradles her sacred fruit, the pomegranate in her hands. In the Persephone myth, Hades, her husband enticed her with a red-ripened pomegranate before she was returned to her mother, Demeter. Persephone ate six seeds of the pomegranate, meaning that she would have to stay in the Underworld for six months of the year, but could walk on the Earth for six months, returning in the spring.
Prosperina (1870) Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) PD-art-100
We tend to react emotionally to artwork when a gaze is looking out of the artwork. All of the other elements may lead you to the gaze, but it is the gaze that captures us. As I created this collage, the memory of my Father bringing a pomegranate to me every autumn rises to the surface. It was a very special silent conversation between my Father and I. I knew he had made a special to the Lexington Market in Baltimore to buy that one special pomegranate. And thus, I began my Persephone journey.
The GAZE is relatable, it’s human, it’s magical. We see into an intimate moment in Persephone’s life. Does it bring a memory to the surface for you?
