The Other Side of Darkness:
Fabian Perez and Prostitution in Art
by Jasmine SayGan email
Some works of art capture your attention with their colors, their size, their shocking subjects, or perhaps their sheer appalling uniqueness. They attempt to make themselves almost impossible to ignore or overlook. Then there are works of art that draw you in simply, unassumingly, and with their own beautiful, honest allure - Fabian Perez creates such artworks. I first came across his paintings on a cruise ship gallery this past summer. Although there were several other pieces of artwork on the ship that were much more eye-catching and colorful, there was a subtle sensuality and grace about his portraits that was particularly affecting. The gallery's art auctioneer whom I talked to described Perez's art as stepping into a different world due to his fascination with his rather scandalous father's lifestyle; one where simply the act of lighting a cigarette was full of meaning and where darkness was deep and beautiful. Perez sought to capture things such as these that seem to have all but vanished from contemporary life. The mysterious sophistication of a classic hat, the demure but inviting sidelong glance - these are all things that Perez has revitalized in his art in spite of a world characterized by brazen fashion, expression and sexuality.

Looking at his work, Perez's portraits of women in particular express an emotion and poignancy that often escape other images of women today, particularly in magazines and advertisements. I was surprised to find out that the majority of his female subjects are prostitutes from his father's three brothels. This made me admire his work even more, because I could in his paintings the respect that he has for women who so rarely receive any. In each portrait, there is a sense of confidence and command exuding from the woman that, translated through Perez's artist's (and male) gaze, is at once refreshing and real. In this project, I take a brief look at Fabian Perez's dramatic and culturally enriched life so far. The main body of my research concerns Perez as an artist among other great artists such as Degas and Manet who have looked at prostitutes for inspiration and study. I also explore how prostitution and art function through what we've learned about semiotics and psychoanalysis. Finally, I look at art from the woman's perspective, using feminist theory and personal reactions to this artwork to fuel my analysis. Through this project, I hope to bring light to the various emotional ways in which prostitution is represented in both Perez's and others' paintings.

Click on each link to discover different aspects of this analysis:

Fabian Perez's Life,
Art, and Influences
Prostitution, Perez,
and Other Artists
Psychoanalysis, Prostitution,
and Perez
Feminism, Women,
and Art
Page Sources:
http://www.fabianperez.com/galerias/gallery11/the_red_sign.html
http://www.fabianperez.com/images/Man_lighting_Cigarette_II.jpg
http://www.fabianperez.com/galerias/gallery4/cynzia_II.html
http://www.fabianperez.com/contact.html
http://www.fabianperez.com/galerias/gallery11/black_purse.html
http://www.fabianperez.com/galerias/gallery24/Study_of_Paola.html
http://www.fabianperez.com/galerias/gallery10/valencia.html

Works Cited Page

 

 

This Webpage was produced in COM 784: Visual Communication,

a class taught by Bob Bednar in the Communication Studies Department at Southwestern University