Brodalisques

Grande Brodalisque depicts the backside of a man wearing red and black plaid underwear, a matching hat, and Batman socks. He grasps a video game controller in his right hand as he rests on cushions and fabric.

Brodalisque Reclining in the Garage depicts a man draped over orange cushions on a cement floor covered in drapery. He wears a sleeveless violet shirt, black sweatpants, and he gazes over his left shoulder.

Brodalisque Reclining in the Basement is staged in a basement with a brick wall with a red and gold rug plus a framed Army of Darkness poster. The bro, dressed in a gray sports-shirt with red letters and numbers, faces away from the viewer.

Dude on a Panther Skin depicts a man with a blue tropical shirt reclining on gold and leopard print pillows. He is resting on a blue sofa covered in blue fabric.

Man Cave Boy shows a slipper-clad man sitting on cushions and drapery in a garage in front of a pegboard workbench. His right hand rests on a shovel handle, and his left foot is crossed over his right leg as he smiles at the viewers.

Brodalisque with Cargo Pockets includes a model wearing a black t-shirt; he faces away from the viewers to show off his beige cargo pants. He lounges on red drapery, which echoes the red accents on the minibike in the background.

Brodalisque of Urbino features a pants-less man wearing a red floral shirt reclining on his right side while clutching a bottle of whiskey with his left hand. An irritated cat is curled up at the man’s feet, and there’s a Zardoz poster on the wall.

Brodalisque Seated in the Transit shows a scruffy dude inside of a van surround by motorcycle gear held in place with orange ratchet straps. The man wears a white white t-shirt and blue jeans.

Brodalisque with Black Trousers features a man in a blue sweatshirt lounging on the beige floor in front of a large television. He rests atop a Nintendo blanket and jack-o-lantern pillow while surrounded by snacks.

Brodalisque Couchée en Westfalia includes a dude leaning back on dark red cushions inside of a tan camper van. He poses with both hands behind his head and his knees bent.

Seated Brodalisque stars a languid man dressed in a bear sweater and shorts resting on a blue chair. His right hand is on his head while he clutches a sword with his left.

Brodalisca depicts a man reclining on his left side, propped up by a motorcycle helmet. He sports a red floral shirt, and there is dull green lunchbox at his feet.

L’Brodalisque features a languid man in sunglasses and blue jeans lounging on a sofa with both hands behind his head. The coffee table in front of him displays beer bottles, coffee cups, and a Nerf gun.

Brolympia includes a bro who leans on his right elbow with both his feet propped up on a brown couch covered with drapery. A small white dog sits at his feet, while a person in an inflatable dinosaur costume stands behind the sofa.

Flipping the binary doesn’t solve all the problems related to the objectification of women in art, but it does provide an entertaining start. I use humor to inspire viewers to consider that passive representations of women for the heteronormative male gaze are neither natural nor universal. In response to the abundance of dehumanizing imagery I am expected to appreciate for art’s sake, I invented the brodalisque. These oil paintings feature masculine men who recreate the poses and passivity of historic odalisques. Western Orientalist painters typically portrayed odalisques within the harem, a place where unrelated men were not allowed to enter. To update the trope of creating a “realistic” painting in a prohibited space, I place my subjects within the hidden mysteries known as the man cave. I render these forbidden environments representationally to persuade viewers that these compositions are factual and not at all fictitious. If the excessive depictions of nude women in art are really truly about form and aesthetics, not power and ownership, then my paintings should be completely serious and not remotely silly. (The newest paintings in this series were created with a generous grant from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation.)