Morbid Curiosity

I really enjoyed having class at the Morbid Curiosity exhibit! I think I got a lot out of viewing the artwork that was displayed; it made me reflect on the way I was going to take field notes about my site. The exhibit helped exercise the element of digging out the deeper meaning of the art and decoding the symbolism it represents. My favorite piece at the Cultural Center is entitled “The Doctor”. It is a pencil sketch of a doctor holding up a naked woman who is desperately clinging onto him because a skeletal figure (I assume is representing death) is pulling her down toward him. In itself it was a very simple drawing with muted colors and minor details, but the work of shadowing and expression really made an impact on me. The doctors stance was very rigid in holding up the naked woman and his expression on his face was almost blank even stoic looking. The woman clinging for life was naked and fully exposed- it portrayed a sense of vulnerability and helplessness. Her face was hidden by her hair. The skeletal figure had the most detail and shadowing. It even had the most expressive face out of the three figures; I’m not really sure why. I know the doctor is rigid because in that profession they probably see people dying everyday, its as if he is numb to it. The help he is giving the woman is almost mechanical looking. It interested me that the woman was naked. Why are women always the victim? That’s societies problem. But it was honestly a great piece, I couldn't help but stare at it for the majority of the time we were at the exhibit. I really hope we have time to go back to the Cultural Center this semester because I feel it was really fulfilling to me as an observer, writer, and gave me further insight on how I want to approach my project.