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Lique Schoot
Arnhem, Gelderland, The Netherlands
Posted: 6.7.09
More info: Artist site
(2.35 - 110 votes)About Lique:
Lique Schoot exclusively paints herself. She is making self-portraits for more than 10 years now. As of October 2003, she has been making a picture of herself every day. The paintings act as visual diaries. Some of the images started out digitally and these are used as a basis for her paintings.
The artist tries continuously challenge photography and painting; the strongly lightened self-portraits refer to studied exposures in the studio. While the paintings keep their instantaneous character of the snapshots, this brevity disappears, or perhaps better, is compromised, by the time needed for the painting procedure itself.
Nevertheless, her self-portraits are snapshots (rather than instantaneous scenes) from her daily life, with additional information provided by the backgrounds: Lique Schoot on the sofa, in the bathroom, in the garden, etc. Thus, she exposes herself in different ways, differently dressed, and with varying feelings, moods and emotions. Thus, by the act of the painting her life out, Lique distances herself somewhat from her life and her work rises above the plain self-portrait. Doing this she makes herself purposely vulnerable to the spectator, delivering a “suggestion”, or a “fragment of life”, rather than just a portrait, a graphic novel in which she acts her own life out.
Cindy Sherman used a variety of outlandish personae in her photos, complete with costumes and wigs etc. It was unique for its day, woman as subject instead of object.It was also a response to Paris Vogue, for which she was contracted to take photographs of new clothing designs. It was really an indictment of the modeling industry as a whole. Lique is simply and uniquely portraying an every day woman from the
Netherlands,..every day!
Like the female nude of the renaissance, her beauty stands on its own and in her own time.
Comment by Doryphorus — June 8, 2009
Hmmm…. the eyes are what ruin it for me and I also thought that these were photos of someone deceased.
Comment by Kathryn O — June 7, 2009
The art itself doesn’t do much for me, I mean besides the point the artist is taking pictures of herself, the photos themselves aren’t all that interesting.
Comment by Whoa — June 7, 2009
I think this artist has a great skill which could be utilized with different subject matters. Great painter, poor idea,
Comment by RB — June 7, 2009
Creepy,dark, very negative. I don’t see any beauty or life in the model.It looks like a photo of a corpse.
Comment by veroneqa — June 7, 2009
Rembrandt painted 90 portrates of himself.
Comment by Doryphorus — June 7, 2009
The picture suggested Cindy Sherman to me even before reading the bio, & I’m surprised she hasn’t been mentioned.
Comment by YK — June 7, 2009
This concept is interesting. Photos are just a moment in time.
Comment by Casey Shannon — June 7, 2009
I have to say, an artist who paints nothing but herself is boring… Artists, by their nature, tent do get self absorbed into their own little world filled with subconscious dreams and self pity. I admit from time to time, such personal emotion might move people on a certain level, but more than often, they’re too personal for anyone to relate to. These kind of art has no meaning outside the artist herself. After 1920, art began to move on the path of self expression, create something no one understand and then people will gathered in the gallery playing the game of “emperor’s new cloths”. I for one think we should focus more on the world around us. There’re so many things to see, so many places to explore, so many people to meet, to learn…and then, we can create something that not only expressing ourselves, but also inspires other people.
Open your eyes for the world, there’re other things to paint beside yourself.
Comment by Faye — June 7, 2009
Good, but a bit egocentric, isn’t it? Glad the artist is so in love with herself…
Comment by G F Doyle — June 7, 2009