Vanessa Cardui (Woman Leaning in Chair), 2024. Hollie O’Brien Oil paint on canvas 60 cm x 60 cm The painting ‘Vanessa Cardui (Woman Leaning in Chair)’ depicts a woman seated contentedly in a chair, rendered in warm and vibrant colors. This artwork, along with others in this series, draws inspiration from a collection of Victorian-era ‘French postcards.’ Originally intended as artist reference materials, these postcards gained notoriety for their explicit content and were traded illicitly. The women in these images became a social stigma and were often persecuted for imagery they no longer had control over. By reinterpreting these images on a larger and brighter scale, the artist brings attention to their history and shares a snippet of their stories. The title, ‘Vanessa Cardui,’ metaphorically references the Painted Lady butterfly, symbolizing the transformative journey these images have undergone while acknowledging their past with the connotations of the insect’s nickname. This reinterpretation challenges traditional depictions of the female body, moving away from the passive and objectified representations historically prevalent in art. It reclaims the narrative, offering a more nuanced and empowered portrayal that reflects contemporary understandings of agency and subjectivity.
Sitting Within Violet and Pink, 2024. Oil paint on canvas 100 cm x 120 cm "Sitting Within Violet and Pink" depicts the model seated facing the chair rather than lounging in it. The painting features bold and defined brushstrokes, creating a clear and vivid image. The purely figurative nature of the painting gives the gaze a dynamic quality, engaging the viewer directly as they observe the artwork, as to challenge the dynamic of passive model and active artist. Drip marks and intense colour choices show urgency in the painting process, which emphasises the model’s assertiveness. The colour choices in this work stem from the artist's own personal experience and are reminiscent of a childhood bedroom.
Facing the Mirror, 2024. Oil paint on Canvas 60 cm x 100 cm In ‘Facing the Mirror,’ we see a woman leaning against a mirror. The solid figure is faced with its loosely defined reflection, where the boundary between her physical presence and reflection, blur. This intentional ambiguity challenges viewers to question whether they perceive a singular individual or two distinct figures touching. Throughout her broader body of work, the artist consistently utilises reflections as a motif with feminist undertones, aiming to reclaim and reinterpret traditional imagery while engaging with more contemporary issues of the gendered gaze in art.
The Figure in a Landscape, 2024. Oil Paint on Canvas 100 cm x 150 cm This painting portrays a woman lounging on a grassy bed, with a background of light and water in the landscape behind her. This setting diverges from the artist's typical focus on interior scenes and historical imagery, but retains an intimate quality. The colouring and brush strokes convey a more inner and bodily landscape, intensifying the feeling of voyeuristic observation. By placing the subject in an outdoor setting, the artist subverts traditional depictions of the female nude, which are often confined to controlled, interior spaces and depicts the body through a different lens.
Woman Staring, 2024 Oil paint on canvas 60 cm x 60 cm
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