Miriam Cahn: Probing Boundary Lines and Surfaces

Intro

Swiss painter Miriam Cahn was born on July 21, 1949. Cahn attended Schule für Gestaltung Basel in Basel from the late sixties to the early seventies. During this time, she became involved in feminist and anti-nuclear causes. Since then, Cahn has been a firm supporter of women’s rights and justice. Themes in her art revolve around affection, social relationships, asylum, and cruelty. Cahn works with a specific palette that uses subdued shades of color and brushstrokes of more vibrant hues to accentuate parts of bodies. Critics refer to her painting style as neo post-expressionism and describe Cahn’s images as having a ghostly pervasive mood. Apart from the enigmatic aspects present in her art, she dedicates special care to representing the eyes of the women portrayed in her paintings. The paintings meet the gaze of observers as they look at them. The Museum Für Gegenwartskunst, Tate Modern, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York are among the major institutions that have acquired her work.

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Process

Miriam Cahn views painting as performance art that she can complete in just two hours. Cahn used to find joy in painting people with a photorealistic style, but her current preference is to use vagueness to evoke uncertainty in the observer. Her paintings, which often appear roughly prepared and filled with vibrant colors, show her spontaneous nature. Miriam focuses on the process of painting rather than creating a specific masterpiece. She perceives every brush stroke as a note in a symphony that unfolds without a definitive ending.

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Mind Set and Themes

While Cohn is fine with erotic art produced by men, she feels that it often depicts women as passive. A unique visual feature in her art is the way her figures appear to make eye contact with the viewer. Cohn’s work comments on the world, reminding us she didn’t create it. She recognizes the ease with which one can become upset and how that feeling can become popular. Cohn’s work explores recurring themes that examine a political feminine perspective. She critiques hypothetical double standards that are prevalent in a democracy. The examples she uses in her work highlight the harsh contrast between clothing and nudity. Representing ghost-like figures or silhouettes with eyes signifies a deeper meaning related to self-reflection. Cohn illustrates how the Burqa or Niqab symbolize religious commitment while imposing a controlling ideology on women’s bodies.

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