Laura Stevens: The (Fe)Male Gaze
Laura Stevens, Corps d’hommes, Galerie Miranda
During one of my countless virtual explorations of contemporary exhibitions in an attempt to keep up with the ongoings of the art world without actually being able to be physically present at the galleries, I discovered a photographer whose subject for her recent exhibition immediately got my attention.
Laura Stevens is an English artist who currently resides in Paris. The subject of her most recent exhibition is the naked male body. This subject is thought-provoking for many familiar with the history of the nude in art history because typically the female nude is analyzed at great length as opposed to the male nude. This is due to not only the higher quantity of the female nude found in artworks but also because feminist art historians are captivated by the male gaze and all that entails. So it’s extremely interesting that a female artist would capture the naked male body in such a way. But, I’m putting the cart before the horse a little.
To begin: a little background in the subject of the female nude and the male gaze to give some context into why capturing the naked male form is so notable. The nude female form can be found throughout art history. Up until about the 19th century, the female nude was only really seen in subjects of fictional women, depictions of women from theological stories, and used as an allegory. Beginning in the 19th century, depictions of contemporary nude women became subjects in artworks mostly portraying mistresses and prostitutes until the early 20th century. After this time, the subjects of female nudes became more diverse and with more than just male artists creating these subjects.
Since the portrayal of the female nude was created by only male artists for such a long time, typically these artworks were created for a male audience, or the voyeur. Only male opinion was taken into account, and sometimes honest depictions did not even matter. With these artworks being by and for men, the subjects of these works of art were viewed in a very specific way. The female form is viewed in an overtly sexualized manner which damages the subject. This is referred to as the male gaze. Thus, the male gaze of the female form added to the objectification of women; within the artworks and in genuine life.
There have been female artists who have been aware of this narrative throughout history and have tried to combat the male gaze. Some of these artists include the female Post-Impressionist painter, Suzanne Valadon, and the Baroque painter, Artemisia Gentileschi. Both of which received criticism from male artists and critics for attempting to depict a subject that was considered too challenging for female artists.
In a recent exhibition at La Galerie Miranda in Paris titled Corps d’hommes (Male Bodies), Stevens unveiled a series of photographs that she produced over the course of a year. She invited dozens of men into her home without knowing them prior and asking them to derobe to pose on her own bed. By having the subjects captured in such an intimate setting, it allows for such a personal moment to happen in the most comfortable way possible for both parties; the artist and the subject.
As the subject of the male nude has become more popular in exhibitions in both galleries and museums over the last decade, Stevens brings a refreshing perspective into the discourse on the subject.
When I was first learning about this exhibition and Stevens as an artist, I thought her intention with her angle on this subject was to combat the idea of the female nude by showing how oppressive it was by conveying the male form in similar fashion by objectifying the subjects. The inner feminist art apprecitor in me in fact would have loved to see this portrayal on the subject by a female artist as a last ditch effort in hopefully showing the male voyeur what the male gaze really feels like. A taste of their own medicine so to speak, because the male gaze continues in art and media today. However, this couldn’t be further from Stevens’ aim and design for these photographs. Once you see the images yourself, you would see as well that this couldn’t possibly be the case.
It is Stevens’ intent with these photographs to show the true nature and beauty of the naked male form; without her or society’s previous biases on the subject. The glamorized aspects of toxic masculinity are nowhere to be found in these photographs so don’t even waste your time looking for them. Galerie Miranda describes the photographs best by saying, “Laura Stevens' photographs of men are devoid of judgement or caricature. In a quest for a personal vision of masculine beauty, Stevens photographs the bodies of men of different ages with a gaze that is observant, curious, open and sensual yet not sexualized. Stevens is interested in the lines and forms created by the men's poses, finding beauty and humanity in each unique body, irrespective of their proportions. Thus exposed, the men are simultaneously virile and vulnerable; muscled and gracile; confident and shy. With great simplicity and a soft photographic palette that recalls realist painting, Stevens captures their individuality with a contemporary feminist vision that is fundamentally egalitarian.”* (Galerie Miranda, Corps d’hommes)
By creating a setting and coming to the camera with an unassuming, open-minded perspective, Stevens’ is able to capture such intimate moments in their most honest form. By being a female artist that is fully aware of the previous narratives surrounding the male gaze, she is able to fully understand what it would feel like to lead with a mindset of the female gaze. She tries to combat this notion with as much impartiality towards the subject as possible in order to capture the most authentic image of male beauty possible. I commend Stevens for this.
These images and the mindset of the artist who created them can be used as an educational tool for artists in the future attempting to portray similar subjects, whether they be of the male or female form.
In many instances, it is hard to and at times impossible to create art without partiality to historical context because without creating from an experience-based mindset could be doing a disservice to the work of art. But as Stevens is a female artist capturing images of an experience that she will never be able to understand, this may be the only way to fully portray this subject of naked male beauty in its most genuine form.
As one views the photographs from this exhibition, one sees the diversity in true male beauty. Male beauty is both masculine and feminine; loud and quiet; strong and soft. It is far more than the small box that society has historically and presently puts it in. I hope through these images we can understand that male beauty is complex, and that we cannot limit it.
*Corps d'hommes. (2020, November 05). Retrieved December 16, 2020, from https://www.galeriemiranda.com/exhibitions/past/corps-dhommes/
