Critical Analysis - Jenny Saville

Jenny Saville is a female painter who was born in Cambridge, England in 1970. Her works are usually of large scale interpretations of naked overweight women and disturbed human form. The paintings of these women are often very no holds barred and depict the gritty realism of the human body and its beauty and imperfections. These studies are dark reflections and a deep contrast to the mass publics’ presentation and perception of the human sculpture.

Saville learned and observer a lot of the human anatomy in New York, 1994, where she sat and watched plastic surgeon Dr.Barry Martin Weintraub in his working process. During the times she was watching, she was granted the chance to photograph and document the cosmetic surgery and liposuctions that Weintraub performed. The interventional techniques that Weintraub performed would also go on to influence her understanding of excessive human fat and the extremes of body shapes.

Some artists which are often compared to her, and with similar work styles, are Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Willem de Kooning, Pablo Picasso and Peter Paul Rubens, (Bacon and De Kooning were her personal biggest influences).

Saville’s paintings ‘Strategy (South face/front face/ north face)’ appeared on the third Manic Street Preachers album and her piece entitiled ‘Stare’ was the art vinyl for the ninth Manic Street Preachers album. Of these two pieces that were used for album covers, my personal favourite is ‘Strategy’. The way everything down to the title monsterises this woman, and shows her not as a showcase for feminine beauty but as a structure (the title often used for achitectual and orthographic plans) is an thought but never spoke idea. A taboo subject that Saville has approached without fear of disgust, and it is that controversial decision to truthfully portray her models that has propeeled her to the forefront of figurative painting. There is a sense of loyalty to oil painting as a medium for Saville and as technology constantly advances she has resisted the temptation of switching media.

Her arguably most famous piece ‘Stare’ (Feature on the cover of Manic Street Preachers album cover ‘Journal for Plague Lovers’) is once again done in oil paints. And although it was praised by many and even reciever 2^nd prize for best Art Vinyl, I am not a fan of the image. I can recognise the skill and workmanship put into painting it but as a whole, I’m not keen. The colours are very bland and pastelly, although it could be argued all her works are of this nature, the exaggerated skin tones are not expressed as vibrantly as they are in some of her other works. With the obvious exception of the bloodied bruising on the subjects face.

In conclusion, my opinion on Jenny Saville is varied. The imagery and the messages she portrays in her work are unmatched, but my personal taste does not include her works. Tonal contrast is a favourable point and her use of different colours and shades to highlight and define shapes can be quite beautiful in its own unique way.

Bibliography: http://www.brain-juice.com/cgi-bin/show_bio.cgi?p_id=77