Entering the space, I was immediately greeted by Shwetz\u2019s large, colorful female nudes. Lara With a Book <\/i>was done in one sitting as an exercise in exploring the human form. The vibrant blocks of color and the two-dimensional rendering of space recalls Expressionist works such as Matisse\u2019s early nudes.<\/p>\n The most striking work is a self-portrait that depicts the artist crouched on the floor, her legs open revealing her genitals as she stares defiantly out at the viewer. One is reminded of Alice Neel\u2019s female nudes, which challenge art historical norms both in the depiction of the non-normative female body and the defiant feminine gaze. \u201cI see this as a confrontation,\u201d said Shwetz \u201cI\u2019m confronting the viewer as they are forced to the confront my vagina.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, all of Shwetz\u2019s paintings on view paid homage to the tradition of western painting while concurrently challenging it. The languorous female nude in Splenders et Miseres recalls the vulnerable and erotic sleeping Venuses of the Renaissance, and yet the blue lips and ashen skin signal to the viewer that this beautiful woman is dead. \u201cI was inspired by Tolstoy and Balzac,\u201d says Shwetz of this painting \u201cthey talk about the beauty in death, the beauty of a woman when she expires.\u201d<\/p>\n Next on view were Beata Chrzanowska\u2019s colorful paintings. The bright colors and rendering of forms immediately reminded me of Kirchner, in particular his nudes. Like Kirchner, Chrzanowska uses color to narrow in on detail; when the quality of the paint becomes muddled and frantic, those are the areas to pay attention to.<\/p>\n \u201cThe audience needs space to rest,\u201d said Chrzanowska \u201cI want to take care of the viewer. Saying to them, I got you.\u201d With these words I\u2019m reminded of Matisse\u2019s maxim that art should please the viewer, that the experience should be like settling into a comfortable armchair. Indeed, though Chrzanowska\u2019s paintings are sexual and raw, there is something soothing and comfortable about them. \u201cI call this color my happy blue,\u201d Chrzanowska said gesturing to a warm cerulean. \u201cI mix it myself and I keep a whole jar of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Chrzanowska\u2019s work is all about abstracting the human form while calling attention to the beauty in its simple details. Bodies disappear into the background as faces take shape, and blocks of bold color highlight meticulous renderings of human skin.<\/p>\n \u201cI want my next series to be more sexual, more raw,\u201d Chrzanowska told me. \u201cColor and imagery, that\u2019s an orgasm to me and I want to represent that.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Lara](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/pic1.jpg\")
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