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As we
have come to expect of Charlotte Schleiffert, she
dares to take on heavy themes, yet often in a very elegant manner.
This is certainly the case with her sparsely painted works set on
white backgrounds in which she deals with such subjects as
prostitution,
power and
subjection in an almost
humoristic fashion. In contrast, her larger drawings have the opposite
visual impact. These are thickly layered and
daubed with pastels and acrylics. In her drawings,
Schleiffert comments on images that she
encounters in the media. Her figures also take on an androgynous form.
Women presenting themselves provocatively to the onlooker have
characteristics reminiscent of pin-ups or models, yet surprisingly
are portrayed with men's faces, or muscled
legs and arms. Hybrids interest Schleiffert
in general.
Oriental and western ideals of beauty are blended
within the same drawing creating fascinating and striking images.
Schleiffert's
social engagement is not patronizing, but it is very direct. She
observes and portrays problematic male-female relationships and
poverty with no holds barred, but not without a certain pathos and
emotion, as in a series of her drawings dealing with
honour killing (Large
Parts of the World are in Darkness, 2005). This work makes
part of the
Collection
of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
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