Customer Reviews

Female

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MARLENE DUMAS FEMALE was published in 2006 in both English and German, written by Marlene Dumas and Matthias Winzen, and focuses, as the title suggests, on images of the female figure. There is an extended series of simply faces, drawn/painted with ease of brushstroke that seems to find myriad emotions in these fully face front paintings. The faces are mesmerizing and given enough space so that they can be examined in a manner that draws attention to the complexity behind the apparent facility of the artist's brush.

But the book is not just about the 'female': it is a survey of the many women of the world representing about every ethnic and sociological group imaginable. As is Dumas' penchant, the book is also generously supplanted with major large canvases of women in many poses, not the least of which are the self-indulgent solitary moments that echo Egon Schiele's approach to the feminine pleasures. Here and there are paintings of men, but interestingly enough the male figures are painted in 'receptacle positions', as though adding male genitalia to her figures emphasized the ambiguity of her other statements about the importance of the flesh. It is a strong book, heavier on simply art than on words - and that for Dumas is usually sufficient! Though out of print, there are copies available and the art lovers captivated by the art of Marlene Dumas should search for copies - the book is that fine! Grady Harp, August 10