I moved the top image around until the pattern was central on the face but did not obscure too much of its detail. I like the effect of a painted or even tattooed face. This is in fact the surgeon, Hunter himself.
I think he would approve of this post mortem manipulation. It is a subversion of the macabre death mask; decorating it-but with a pattern made from meat, blood and a rosary-referencing face painting which has fun childlike connotations. This fits into the uncomfortable, difficult, area of disgust often presented by contemporary artists.
Using further portraits of my 83 year old mother, I applied chosen layers from my images made from meat and waste bodily products.
Once again, by rotating the patterned layer, I could line it up with the face. I like the way the golden hair sits on top of her head like a parody of youth. I used a black and white portrait on the bottom layer which creates more contrast when the brightly coloured image is overlaid.
The finished image comments on the culture of beauty in Western society; how the signs of ageing which are seen as disgusting, are masked with beauty products or plastic surgery. She looks very much like ORLAN, who has undertaken a 6 year performance art project to transform her face with implanted horns and cheeks.
This one does not work so well as there are perhaps too many other connotations here. I cannot stop seeing the shape of the union flag on her face! Perhaps this could be a comment on the independence of Scotland? Once the viewer sees and recognises a pattern, a response is formed which was not intended by the artist and the value of the meaning is degraded.
This image seems to reference the anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. The chunks of glossy, textured meat are visible and suggest the carnal nature of the human body. Old or young, we are all made the same and contain the same organic matter that will eventually rot and disintegrate.
This is a model made by the University of Hamburg Computer Science dept.with direct reference to the Leonardo anatomical drawing on parchment displayed to the left. I was lucky enough to see this drawing in an exhibition in Rome in March '14. There is a bloodstained thumb print on it which is awe inspiring!
This is my favourite combination which works because the black background absorbs the pattern, making it appear to exist solely on the naked body. The bright colours against the dark background remind me of Grunewald's 'Temptation of St Anthony' The image overlaid is also made up of meat and hair, but what adds more depth of meaning is the lace doily and the red wool. These represent the womanly skills of making that my mother possesses. The masking of the face links with the idea of identity and the Invisible woman. However, this Major Study is about disgust so I must not get distracted by what I am researching for my other project. There is however a sense of disgust caused by smothering an old lady's body with blood, scraps of rotten meat and bloodstained locks of golden hair. It creates a ritualistic, symbolic image.
Grunewald (1512-16) 'The Temptation of St Anthony'
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