Aisthesis      Volume 13,  202284

Eye of the Beholder

by Maggie Rodgers



Eye of the Beholder

Aisthesis      Volume 13,  202285

Eye of the Beholder (2021)
Gauche painting and collage. Use of magazine clippings, book clippings, personal drawings, graphic novel clippings, etc.

!is work is meant to highlight society’s view of women and femininity, speci"cally analyzing how women are subjected to 
constant and unspoken observation in their daily lives. !is piece was inspired by feminist literature, including excerpts from 
Margaret Atwood’s !e Robber Bride. !e goal of the piece is to invoke thought about the role of women as objects of the 
male gaze, and further illustrate how the male gaze has become present in virtually every aspect of society. Clippings of eyes 
are used throughout the piece to emphasize being the subject of an ever-present watcher. Speci"c clippings in the work aim 
to additionally highlight the way women are spoken about in media as well as the way women speak about themselves. !e 
painting, a main focus in the work, is a self-portrait that I felt was important to include as a symbol of my own role as part of the 
societal view of women. Creating this work, I felt driven by my emotions as a woman and the somewhat inescapable pressure to 
perform not only for others, but for myself.