Critchlow, Somaya
Somaya Critchlow’s work delves into a fascination with self-perception and Othering, reimagining the tradition of figuration with a considered examination of nudity and atmosphere. Her paintings compose a narrative that sets women at the centre of image making, their gazes interrupting our latent desire for an unconditional viewing, the objects of their world made anew with eerie significance.
The title of her work Eve, 2021, is a reference to Adam and Eve and takes some influence from Lucas Cranach the Elder’s painting of Adam and Eve (1528). Eve, as the first woman, embodies the idea of original sin and represents womankind. Her punishment for being tricked by the serpent and leading her husband Adam astray is the pain of childbirth and subordination to man. Eve is portrayed as both a seductress and a fool for giving in to the serpent. In Critchlow’s sumptuous painting, Eve embodies the idea of temptation and represents a reckoning for history and viewership.
- Artwork Details: 21 x 15 x 2cm
- Edition:
- Material description: Oil on linen
- Credit line: Gift of the Arnold Lee Charitable Trust, 2022 © the artist. Image courtesy of the artist and Maximillian William, London
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- Medium: Painting
- Accession number: ACC16/2021