Sanctuary
The Male Gaze as Spiritual Experience
The adoration of women in Gothic architecture during the 1100’s was evident in the dedication of cathedrals. These women included such names as Mary Magdalene, Ann, Rose and Theresa. But among them, the most reoccurring was Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres and Notre Dame de Paris are two the more famous cathedrals dedicated to women.
Relics of these women were displayed within the churches. Sancta Camisa, believed to be the tunic worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary, was placed in the Chartres cathedral. These churches also displayed sculptures, paintings, and stained glass windows of the women to whom these buildings were dedicated.
My interest as an artist continues to be in reoccurring themes of religion, death, sexuality, and man/woman relationships. In the series, “Sanctuary,” I am revisiting these early Christian concepts of adoration of women. The intent is to create iconographic images of women as an investigation of spirituality.
I have included myself in this work to question the male’s role in this adoration and the notion of the male gaze. Is the man detached in this world and simply a voyeur? Or, is he an integral part of the experience? Does his adoration create the spirituality? How important is the dialog between the male and the female in this relationship?
The adoration of women in Gothic architecture during the 1100’s was evident in the dedication of cathedrals. These women included such names as Mary Magdalene, Ann, Rose and Theresa. But among them, the most reoccurring was Mary, the mother of Jesus. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres and Notre Dame de Paris are two the more famous cathedrals dedicated to women.
Relics of these women were displayed within the churches. Sancta Camisa, believed to be the tunic worn by the Blessed Virgin Mary, was placed in the Chartres cathedral. These churches also displayed sculptures, paintings, and stained glass windows of the women to whom these buildings were dedicated.
My interest as an artist continues to be in reoccurring themes of religion, death, sexuality, and man/woman relationships. In the series, “Sanctuary,” I am revisiting these early Christian concepts of adoration of women. The intent is to create iconographic images of women as an investigation of spirituality.
I have included myself in this work to question the male’s role in this adoration and the notion of the male gaze. Is the man detached in this world and simply a voyeur? Or, is he an integral part of the experience? Does his adoration create the spirituality? How important is the dialog between the male and the female in this relationship?
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