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.

I paint dudes in man caves. In scholarly terms: I create detailed oil on canvas figure paintings of passive masculine forms lounging in mysterious and unknowable environments, purposefully invoking an historic and academic style of art in order to challenge the traditional patriarchal values of Western civilization. Despite the importance of my work, I can’t be serious all the time. To incorporate my sense of humor in my art, I invented the brodalisque, which is a character that combines a “bro” with an “odalisque.” Even though my paintings feature men, they’re not about men. My brodalisques represent men as realistically as idealized nude female bodies in classic artwork represents actual women. I have been told that those famous works of art were about “beauty,” “truth,” and other philosophical ideals pulled out of the wazoos of privileged men who decided they knew how the universe operated, declared that women were inferior, ignored everyone outside of the gender binary, and high-fived their little bros in musty rooms while sipping cognac and feeling up each other’s head-bumps as evidence of their “genius.” Additionally, I’ve been told that if I don’t appreciate the endless parade of undressed women’s bodies rendered by cis-men artists to satiate the male gaze, then I don’t understand art.

To counterbalance these arbitrary gender roles, I painstakingly paint masculine men in the same languid poses of flaccid odalisques, writhing Venuses, and other allegories represented by feminine bodies. If my brodalisques aren’t praised for their form, beauty, and other esoteric artsy themes, then perhaps the purpose and worth of the countless depictions of inactive nude women should be reevaluated. When viewers chuckle at my paintings of reclining men, I hope this encourages them to notice the absurd ways women are usually treated in the art world. I want my paintings to inspire others to observe the lack of representation of women and people of other marginalized genders in everyday life. I paint dudes in man caves because I am a person and it would be great if my community treated me like one.

Brodalisques

Klaire A. Lockheart