"Shifting the Gaze" Lecture Sparks Discussion

The auditorium of Syosset public library was packed Monday afternoon for professor Mary Vahey's presentation on "Shifting the Gaze: Painting and Feminism", an hour-long discussion on works of art that embody both Jewish and feminist content.

Some of the paintings shown Monday included the well-known works of Eva Hesse, Audrey Flack, Deborah Kass, Lee Krasner and Judy Chicago. The art is all on display at The Jewish Museum, located at 1109 5th ave. in Manhattan.

"The gaze has always shown the male gaze, this is a little play on that," Vahey explained to the crowd as she showed off Joan Semmel's "Sunlight". "It's quite distorted, showing her naked body through her own point of view. It shows women as the creator, rather than women there to be observed."

Another work of art Vahey praised in her slide-show was Miriam  Shapiro's "Fanfare", a 1958 painting and one of the Jewish Museum's earliest showings that focuses primarily on women's art.

"Those that are not knowledgeable could look at it and say 'I could do that'," Vahey said. "But when you really look at it, you could see the depth of it."

One painting which was a favorite of the crowd's was "Seder", a new painting by Nicole Eisenman which portrays a Jewish family.

"It brought to mind that there are four people in the painting, that all have attitudes brought about at the Sedar," said resident Leona Straussman on why she liked the painting.

Artist and Woodbury resident Ruth Lawrence, whose paintings have been on display at East Meadow library, also enjoyed the Sedar painting.

"It's a caricature of people and all their hardships are included in the sedar," Lawrence said. "And they are all accepted as part of it."

Vahey was just glad that people were active in the discussion of art, something she said is one thing she loves about it.

"It's a satirical painting," said Vahey on "Seder". "What's great about that, it bring out a conversation. And that's a great thing about art, to be able to do that."

The "Shifting the Gaze: Painting and Feminism" display at the Jewish Museum of Art runs through Janurary 30, 2011. For more information, please visit the website.