"Anything private should not be a risk, it should be a result, it should be understood, restored, packaged and disposed of."- Louise Bourgeois
Bourgeois was a French artist who creates very personal work. A lot of her work focuses on her anxieties, fears, and pains. She has been quoted to have said, "Emotions are the primary subject of my work"- this strikes a chord with me as my work is focused in the same way. She used a number of materials in her work- marble, steel, bronze, old clothes, mirrors, glass, cloth, anything she could get her hands on.
"10 AM Is When You Come To Me"
I couldn't find a decent picture on google to show this. It was the first room I walked into. There were 20 (I think it was 20 anyway- correct me if I'm wrong) framed pieces set out 5 rows, 4 in each. They were huge pieces of paper, which featured forearms to hands in various shades of red. She had used a mix of etching, watercolour, pencil, and gouche to create the piece. She used a variety of paper, including sheet music. That reminded me of my own work and how I use wallpaper/ scrap paper as backgrounds. I was in awe when I walked in, purely because the pieces were so big individually. I've never thought about making a series of prints/ paintings on such a big scale and in such a big group. The arms looked as if they had been drawn around, the lines were wobbly and you could see mistakes. I thought that was really nice though as it added personality. The hands sometimes interlock, and hold each other which gives off a feel of comfort. Upon reading the description, I found that the piece was about her friendship with Jerry Gororay who was her assistant for 30 years. The title and the story relate as their working day began at 10am. I love that it's not specific about who it is about- again relating this to my work.
"Ode á la Bievre"
I just had a quick google of this, and I found it on amazon. Over £200 for a printed copy. Gutted.
This piece was absolutely stunning. Each page was framed. I loved how each page told something new. In the book she reminisces about the impact the river had on her she references the river in her other work too). Her family moved next to the Bievre in the subarbs of Paris when she was 8 years old. Years later she revisited it years later to find it no longer existed. This is lithograph and cloth.
I Am Afraid" (2009)
As I was about to walk into the room that had this piece in, Christie (very kindly) said it was like my work and I "had to see it".
This piece was huge. It was woven fabric, mounted on stretcher. I love how simple this looks, it's quite plain and pure, which harmonises with the message she's putting across. It is honest, its pure, it is raw. Her mother died when she was 21 and that plagued Bourgeois though out her life. She had fears of abandonment and loneliness. It seems that she is so lonely she is talking to herself. It's almost like she's accepted and dealing with the way she feels, and yet she is still questioning herself.
"Spider Sculptor" (1994)
This was amazing to see. I had hoped there would be one in the exhibition. Again, this work was connected to her mother. It is made from steel and bronze, and has quite a mechanical look to it. The materials suggest strength and power. It's underside was like a basket (which reminded me of webs), containing an egg. After walking about and under the spider, I saw that the egg was made from marble. It was quite intimidating because of it's size, but I thought it really added to the impact.
"Couple I" (1996)
I knew this piece was going to be in the exhibition. From the pictures decided I didn't like it and it creeped me out. I went there with the idea of just walking past it. But I didn't.
Pictures do not do this piece justice. I walked around this twice. You get such a better feel for the message she wanted to convey by seeing it up close. Bourgeois used he own blouses and stuffed them. The striped shirt is male, and the lace collar is female. She was conveying the idea of the complex relationship between men and women. The way these headless bodies are embracing each other suggest a physical and emotional connection. It suggests tenderness, dependency and belonging. It is a mix of fear with love. It could also suggest a sexual relationship (which became an important theme in her later work as she explored repressed memories).
"Single II" (1991)
This was held up by it's belly. Parts of it were close to life sized but a lot of other parts were exaggerated. The textiles used on this ranged. I liked how she used small parts of material and had sewn them together like patchwork. This is something I will have to try instead of just going for one big bit of material. This body looks lifeless and like it has no head. It also appears to be male, but as I walked around it I found a little extra bit where the head should be and it became obvious it was representing female genitalia. Male and Female were merged symbolically. Nothing is black and white with Bourgeois.
A L'infini (2008-9)
I can't get any pictures of this but it was HUGE! It was made up of 16 framed huge sheets. This was made only 5 years ago- this woman was 97 when she made these pieces, which is find is absolutely astounding. Each sheet featured either representations of falling female bodies, disembodied limbs, a couple, and childbirth. Also text that accompanied it and acted like commentary. Knotted lines/ tubes seemed to connect the pieces and flow across the sheets, this could have represented rivers, canals, umbilical cords, or arteries and veins. It was like the cycle of life. The paint isn't even, it seems to be dry brush, lots of red again. Some were browny- red which i think represented blood. It was quite childlike, likes very uneven and wobbly.
"He Disappeared Into Complete Silence" (1947-2005)
Was a mixture of illustrated narrative text and images. Bourgeois made her first print in 1938.
"Spider" Engraving and Aquatint. This was my favourite of the ones on display. I liked it as the spider fills the whole room and it looks kind of claustrophobic, which is how I feel when I get anxious. I can't really say much more about this piece other than I just felt an emotional connection to it.
Untitled (I Have Been To Hell And Back)
Yet another piece Christie was urging me to see.
This is an embroidered handkerchief. It had belonged to her husband who died in 1973. I love that she used it in this way as it is very very personal. She has connected the message with the person. I like that it's stained, again, it adds personality. This piece was a self refection on her own psychological state and her anxiety. It shows how strong she was after the death, still using humour. The amount of work that must have went into the lettering is crazy- it must have taken her sooooo long. Typography is definitely something I am looking at within my Final Major Project.
"Home For Runaway Girls" (1994)
This was one of the postcards I bought. It refers to a town close to where Bourgeois had lived as a child. "Fille- mere" means unmarried woman. I liked this piece because of the material she used. The sandpaper was symbolic in a way, like that things were rough.
Cell- Eyes and Mirrors (1989-93)
This is the last piece I am going to talk about. It was in a room of it's own and as soon as I walked in, I said "Oh My God" out loud.
This piece is huge. Bourgeois salvaged doors and wire mesh. As you walked around you noticed glass panes were smashed on one side, and on the other side some panes were really dirty. They were so dirty it was quite hard to see through them. Inside is a marble sculpture of eyes, carved in rough grey stone.There is a dominating presence of the eyes, emphasised but the varied sizes of mirrors. You could also think these were breasts (which were also a recurring theme in her work). The mirrors allowed multiple viewpoints and also reflected the viewer. Which I thought was interesting as the viewer sort of becomes part of the piece.
Overall, I loved a lot of pieces in this exhibition. I've really taken a few things away from it- allowing fear and emotions to show, not holding back etc. I can only hope my work will be at least half as good as the work Louise Bourgeois produced.
