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Del Kathryn Barton Research Paper

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Artist Investigation Possessions and Obsessions Del Kathryn Barton Due: 14th Friday, 2015 By Amberley Sparkes Del Kathryn Barton was born to two teachers in 1972, Sydney, New South Wales. She grew up on a hobby-style goat farm, obsessed with drawing from a young age. Barton suffered a cacophony of psychotic disorders, nothing of which doctors could officially diagnose. She escaped her reality of mental instability by emerging herself in drawing and arts. Barton went through several periods of “self loathing” and eating disorders, of which are reflected in many of Barton’s pieces. Barton explores ideas of femininity, exploring and understanding the female body and the stigmas associated with children and sexual representations …show more content…

The woman is displayed from waist up in the central position on the canvas. She appears to be nude, her left breast exposed. Her face is upturned, gazing at something above the top of the composition. Her eyes are large and glassy; reflective pools. Her skin is clear and pale, a sign of youth and beauty. Her lips are slightly parted, and they are full and soft red in colour. The kitten looks up, at the same object as the woman. It has grey fur, red/pink rimmed eyes, ears and claws. The kitten digs it’s claws into the hand of the woman, which she holds beside her chest, cupping her hand, palm up. The kitten rests against her chest and grasps her hand, suggesting a bond or relationship between the two. The kitten appears to suffer from heterochromia. It has two different coloured eyes, one a golden yellow colour and the other, a deep blue. Milk appears to be seeping from the woman’s breasts, dripping from her nipple and flowing down her chest. Breast feeding is a symbol of a bond between mother and child, the fundamental and basic apparatus to sustain …show more content…

This particular artwork could be interpreted as symbolic for identifying a future for sexual freedom of women; women being able to discuss themselves sexually, accept who they are and their individual beauty and the freedom to express female sexuality art, removing the stigma The woman, with her glassy and impassive eyes, gives the impression of reflection to the audience. Her eyes are blue; her pupils dark and the irises are fusion of pastel and mellow blues. The colour blue also has connotations; either interpreted as a surreal and calming colour, or a miserable and saddening colour. The combination of the reflective surface and the colour blue, seems to be a statement of contemplation on the sad and disturbing mistreatment and abuse of female sexuality in contemporary art. The kitten also has symbolic uses, adding to the message conveyed by Barton. Cats, historically are represented as intuitive and independent. Freely expressing themselves and not relying on other for comfort. With the kitten in Barton’s image, desperately clawing at the woman’s hand, and the woman holding the kitten close to her chest, it signifies the urgent attempt for the woman, or women in general, to pertain to sexual

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