Examining "Openness" in the Photographic Works of Jay Defeo
Simms, Matthew
California State University, Long Beach
2020
70
M.A.
California State University, Long Beach
2020
Jay DeFeo's oeuvre has largely been contextualized through her most famous painting The Rose. This thesis explores the significance of photography for her artistic practice, both before and after The Rose. In the 1950s DeFeo's use of photography was limited, resulting in only a handful of photo-collages. As she worked on The Rose, DeFeo and others photographed the piece to document the painting's growth, with DeFeo herself at times posing in front of the painting. A crucial change occurred in 1970 when DeFeo moved behind the camera, as it were, becoming the photographer and taking agency over the camera.