Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman and first openly LGBT person to hold the position of Britain’s Poet Laureate, is renowned for her thought-provoking and often controversial poetry. Standing Female Nude, published in her 1985 collection of the same name, exemplifies Carol Ann Duffy’s ability to challenge societal norms and explore complex power dynamics through verse. Set in the intimate yet charged context of an artist’s studio, the poem delves into the relationship between the artist and his model, touching on themes of gender, class, and the nature of art itself.
Themes and Symbolism
The Power of Perspective
At its core, Standing Female Nude is about perspective and power. The poem is narrated from the viewpoint of the nude model, giving voice to a figure who is traditionally silent in both art and society. This shift in perspective challenges the reader’s expectations and forces us to confront our own preconceptions about art, nudity, and the female form.
Six hours like this for a few francs.
Belly nipple arse in the window light,
he drains the colour from me.
The model’s voice is unapologetically direct, as evidenced in the opening line. This statement immediately sets the tone, highlighting the transactional nature of the sitting and the model’s pragmatic approach to her work. The artist’s act of painting is portrayed as a form of extraction, reducing the model to her physical parts while draining her vitality.
Objectification and Commodification
Carol Ann Duffy uses the setting of an artist’s studio to explore broader themes of objectification and commodification. The model’s body is treated as a commodity, both by the artist who pays for her time and by the eventual buyers of the painting.
They tell me I am a form of art.
This line underscores the disconnect between the model’s lived experience and her representation on canvas. The commodification of her body is further emphasized by the artist’s clinical gaze, which reduces her to fragmented parts. The poem vividly illustrates this objectification:
He possesses me on canvas as he dips the brush
repeatedly into the paint.
Here, the act of creation becomes an act of possession, highlighting the power imbalance between the artist and the model.
Class and Gender Dynamics
The poem also touches on class dynamics, with the working-class model contrasting sharply with the “bourgeois” artist. This class divide is intertwined with gender dynamics, as the male artist wields power over the female model through his gaze and his brush.
I with the next meal. You’re getting thin,
Madame, this is not good.
This line underscores the economic disparity between the artist and the model, and the very real concerns that occupy the model’s mind during the sitting. While the artist indulges in his creative process, the model is preoccupied with survival, highlighting the stark contrast in their lived realities.
Poetic Devices
Imagery and Diction
Carol Ann Duffy’s choice of words is deliberately provocative and visceral. Phrases like “belly nipple arse” create a stark, almost clinical image of the nude form, stripping away any romantic notions of the artistic process. The imagery shifts between the physical reality of the model’s body and the abstracted version appearing on the canvas, emphasizing the gap between reality and representation.
The studio is cold.
In the tea-leaves
I can see the Queen of England gazing
on my shape.
These vivid images allow the reader to inhabit the model’s perspective fully, bringing the scene to life with sensory details.
Structure and Form
The poem is written in free verse, mirroring the unconventional perspective it presents. The lack of a rigid structure reflects the model’s freedom of thought, even as her body is constrained by the demands of the pose. Short, declarative sentences punctuate the poem, giving it a rhythm that feels almost like a series of snapshots or quick sketches.
Irony and Humor
Carol Ann Duffy employs a sardonic humor throughout the poem, particularly in lines like:
It does not look like me.
This use of irony serves to further emphasize the disconnect between the model’s self-perception and her representation in art. The model’s wry observations, such as:
These artists
take themselves too seriously,
add a layer of critique to the artistic process and the pretensions of the art world.
Personal Reflection
Reading Standing Female Nude, I’m struck by how relevant its themes remain nearly four decades after its publication. In an age of social media and digital manipulation of images, the questions Carol Ann Duffy raises about representation, objectification, and the gap between reality and art feel more pertinent than ever.
He possesses me on canvas as he dips the brush
repeatedly into the paint.
This line is particularly powerful, highlighting the complex power dynamics at play in the creation of art. It makes me consider how often we, as viewers or creators, might unknowingly participate in similar acts of possession or objectification.
Conclusion
Standing Female Nude is a masterclass in perspective-shifting, using the intimate setting of an artist’s studio to explore far-reaching themes of power, gender, and representation. By giving voice to the traditionally voiceless model, Duffy forces us to reconsider our understanding of art, beauty, and the human form.
It does not look like me.
This simple statement encapsulates the central tension of the poem – the gap between reality and representation, between the lived experience of the subject and the final product of art.
In our current era, where issues of representation and objectification are at the forefront of cultural discourse, this poem serves as a powerful reminder of the complexities inherent in any act of depiction. It challenges us to look beyond the surface, to consider the humanity behind every image, and to question the power structures that shape our perceptions of art and beauty.
As we continue to grapple with these issues in our increasingly visual culture, Carol Ann Duffy’s words echo with renewed relevance, reminding us of the power of poetry to challenge, provoke, and ultimately, to change our way of seeing the world.
