Born in 1970 in Cambridge, England, Saville attended the Glasgow School of Art from 1988 to 1992. Her studies focused her interest in “imperfections” of flesh, with all of its societal implications and taboos.
A member of the Young British Artists (YBAs), Saville reinvigorated contemporary figurative painting by challenging the limits of the genre and raising questions about society’s perception of the body and its potential. Saville had been captivated with this since she was a child; she has spoken of seeing the work of Titian and Tintoretto on trips with her uncle, and of observing the way that her piano teacher’s two breasts—squished together in her shirt—became one large mass.
In her depictions of the human form, Jenny Saville transcends the boundaries of both classical figuration and modern abstraction. Her paintings refuse to fit smoothly into an historical arc; instead, each body comes forward, autonomous, voluminous, and always refusing to hide.
charcoal on paper
76.2 by 56.5 cm. 30 by 22 1/4 in.