Sexual Paintings of the Feminist Painter Joan Semmel

Guerrilla Girls

In 1932, Joan Semmel was born in New York City. She pursued her education at the Cooper Union, the Art Students League of New York, and earned her BFA in 1963 and MFA in 1972 from Pratt Institute. After moving to Spain in 1963, Semmel displayed her abstract expressionist artwork in galleries and museums. She later came back to New York in 1970.

Once Semmel returned to New York, she joined the feminist art movement. Semmel was an original member of the Guerrilla Girls, who took part in feminist activities that focused on gender equality in the art world. She committed several years to researching, which led to the publication of the book “Skin in the Game."

Fig 1. Centered 2002 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Many museums have included her work in their permanent collections, representing its relevance and lasting impact. Her work has been on display in exhibitions across the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, and South America.

The focus of Semmel’s artistic study lies in the realm of eroticism, where she investigates various themes related to the female body. From 1978 to 2000, she held a significant position as a painting instructor at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Fig 2. Purple Passion 1973 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Fig.3 Couch Diptych 2019 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Fig 4. Shower Stalls 1990 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Beatnik Vibe

In 1957, a serious illness gave Semmel the courage to ignore what others expected of her. While she was still adjusting to motherhood, she had to spend six months in the hospital, fighting off tuberculosis.During this time, she discovered a sense of freedom from the requirements of her family. Every day, she would read a book and contemplate her life’s purpose.

With her health restored, she was determination to resume her education and achieve a BFA degree. As a result, she enrolled at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. After completing her studies, she accompanied her husband to Spain, where he had secured a position as a civil engineer, but their relationship ended soon after the birth of their second child. In Spain, divorce was illegal and women needed a husband or father on the lease to rent an apartment. This served as another moment where she made the connection between her personal discontent and the political systems at play.

Fig 5. Flip Flop diptych 1971 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Fig 6. Untitled 1971 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Sex Paintings

Semmel returned to New York from Spain in 1970, hoping to find the ‘sexual revolution,’ but discovered a culture that primarily exploited and commodified the female form. This inspiration fed her desire to create a visually captivating language, one that would arouse all the senses and reflect a feminine perspective. Semmel strongly believed that the oppression of women stemmed from their sexuality. She believed that addressing this issue at its core was essential, acknowledging that sexuality embodies both pleasure and pain. Dedicating herself to this desire, she brought her Sex Paintings to life in 1971. By working from her oil crayon sketches, she captured men and women engaged in explicit and intimate embraces. In order to foster intimacy and sensuality, she made a conscious effort to avoid anything melodramatic. Semmel’s training as an Abstract Expressionist is apparent in these formidable works, which are painted in a gestural style and assert expressive color. Her use of color is deliberate and purposeful, adding a visual element that enhances the spatial dynamics.

Fig 7. Hot Seat 1971 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

Fig 8. Hold 1972 Photo Credit Alexander Gray

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Click HERE for genitalia close-ups of the American sex educator Betty Dodson