Aesthetics for Birds

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art for Everyone

Painting of a nude, male presenting subject standing with their torso bathed in a rectangle of sunlight. The shadow of their right hand seems to be pinching their right nipple, referencing the painting Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses soeurs.

Ray Briggs on Self-Love and Sin

October 13, 2023 by Aesthetics for Birds | 0 comments

Painting of a nude, male subject standing with his torso bathed in a rectangle of sunlight. The shadow of his right hand seems to be pinching his right nipple, referencing the painting Gabrielle d'Estrées et une de ses soeurs.
Self-Love and Sin, Gabriel and Her Twin, by Aaron Feltman [source]
Painting of two nude women behind drawn-back curtains. Both are sitting straight up beside each other, and one is fondling the other's nipple. There is a fully clothed woman by a fireplace far in the background.
Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sisters, unknown artist (c. 1594) [source]

This is entry #90 in our ongoing 100 Philosophers, 100 Artworks, 100 Words series.

Philosopher: Ray Briggs (Stanford University)

Artwork:  Self-Love and Sin, Gabrielle and Her Twin, Aaron Feltman, 2019 [Painting, Oil on Linen, 35 x 40 inches]

Words: This artwork re-interprets a 1594 painting of Gabrielle d’Estrées and her sister (artist unknown). Critics like Bonnie Zimmerman find lesbian undertones in the older painting, but to me its invasive gaze reads as straight and male: exposed female figures blankly regard the audience, one groping the other. In Feltman’s painting, the subject’s reflective downward gaze and self-directed touch invite empathy and inwardness. The shadow of their right hand mirrors the solidity of their left, suggesting that their imagination and interpretation play an active role in shaping the world of the painting.

Leave a Reply

Required fields are marked *.