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Image of Corset (La Grand Jatte)

Jenifer K. Wofford

American

Corset (La Grand Jatte)
cica 1995

Plaster, porcelain, and wood
18 x 12 x 8.5 in. (45.72 x 30.48 x 21.59 cm)
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
1996.62

La Grande Jatte is an island shaped like a kayak on the Seine on the western edge of Paris. It is also a reference to George Seurat’s (1859-91) masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, in which clear impressionist themes are present as well as “aristocratic feeling and… austerity” are displayed in his motionless figures, resembling cut-out mannequins of the Victorian age. Jenifer K. Wofford pairs her own stiff corset with Seurat’s equally stiff interpretation of luxury, holiday, relaxation and the feminine place in that environment. By pairing such descriptions together, Wofford brings attention to the corsets – both literal and figurative – that have been placed on women throughout history, taking a seemingly innocent sculpture and creating a powerful alter of feminism for the viewer.

Wofford is a contemporary American artist and art educator based in San Francisco, California. She is known for her contributions to Filipino-American visual art and she received her BFA

Keywords
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This object has the following keywords:
bust, corsets*, plaster, porcelain*, three-dimensional, torso, wood
  • bust
  • corsets - Smoothly fitted undergarments extending from or below the bust down to the waist or below, stiffened by strips of steel or whalebone, or with casing for a busk, sometimes limbered by elastic goring, sometimes tightened by lacing, and fastened by hooks. It is usually worn by women for support and molding of the figure including the ribcage and possibly the hips.
  • plaster
  • porcelain - A material comprising white clay, or "kaolin," and a feldspathic rock, that react when fired so the clay serves to hold the shape of the object and the rock fuses into a natural glass. In China, it includes any such ware that is highly fired enough to produce a ringing sound when struck. In Europe, it is limited to hard-fired ceramic that is translucent.
  • three-dimensional
  • torso
  • wood

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Looking Backward & Forward: Forty Years with NEHMA & What’s Next

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