Ellas solo show Catalogue

Funglode

Complete Essay of Jonathan Goodman

Paula Saneaux: Painting and Pleasure

Paula Saneaux is an excellent young painter who has studied in New York; her work, most often views of young women (but also young men) in undress, belongs both to the rigors of the figurative tradition and the charged eroticism particular to the young artist. One of the pleasures of Saneaux’s art is its fidelity to nature; the luscious curves of the female body are truthfully portrayed in monochromatic paintings that arouse desire—at least from a masculine standpoint. The artist herself has said that she is trying to communicate an erotic independence on the part of the women she describes; in their dishabille, the models radiate, at the same time, a pleasure in being viewed and a quiet confidence in the attractiveness of their bodies. As a result, the critic cannot say that these figures are meant for men alone; together, they comprise a broader statement, in which the sensuality of women is appreciated for its own sake, apart from the attention from the male gaze.

As a man it is hard for me to turn my eyes away from the sexuality implicit in Saneaux’s imagery, but I recognize that she is addressing an audience that focuses on the self-sufficiency of the women in view. They actually reveal little of their inner life, and their reluctance to do so emphasizes Saneaux’s suggestion—namely, that her work has to do with an uninhibited eroticism which encourages the autonomy of the female psyche. As such, her paintings of women in their lingerie attract desire—but on the artist’s and the models’ terms. Men are welcome to watch, but they seem to figure little in Saneaux’s overall scheme. What is needed, she seems to be saying, is an acceptance of pleasure that is not based on ownership in a psychological sense, but rather on the insight that sensuality is a language shared between the sexes. Interestingly, Saneaux’s poses seem to derive from those undertaken by models in an art class; in one sense, the artist is showing her technical skill. But the formality of her compositions has the effect of arousing desire; they show us that the female form retains, as always, its ability to speak to the erotic. Desire speaks to the sexual needs of both women and men.

The artist’s inclusion of paintings describing the male form does not complicate so much as extend her reading of the ubiquity of yearning, which is based on the pleasure of the gaze. Painting and sex are merged as equal pleasures in Saneaux’s art. The artist objectively describes the body in poses that remind us of art’s history, but this time there is something new: an objectivity that sustains the models’ dignity even as they show us themselves in a state of undress. If the erotic beckons, so does the women’s distancing from the desire they create. The call of desire, which involves sexual consciousness, and the statement of bodily fact, which subverts sensuality, combine in Saneaux’s esthetic. It is clear enough that she belongs to a long and great Western painting tradition; her work uses this legacy as a means of contextualizing her art. But even so, we must remember that Saneaux is a contemporary artist, someone who has decided to interpret the history of the nude on her own terms. Her independence pushes her paintings in the direction of feminism; however, she declines from an overt presentation of sexual politics. The desire in Saneaux’s work is finally human, seen from the perspective of a woman rather than through the gaze of a man.

Jonathan Goodman

Jonathan Goodman is a poet and freelance art writer based in New York City. He writes for a number of magazines, printed and online; they include Art in America, Sculpture, and Art Critical. He also teaches at two art schools--Pratt Institute and the Parsons School of Design. Paula Saneaux was one of his students at Parsons.