The paintings “Shut Up and Take It” and “I’ve Killed Bitches Before”

The paintings “Shut Up and Take It” and “I’ve Killed Bitches Before”

The paintings “Shut Up and Take It” and “I’ve Killed Bitches Before” is an artwork that portrays violence against women. The pictures are based on the real life experience of sexual violence and torture. The artwork by Suzzan Blac signifies the abuse that women are subjected to by men. The images serve to depict how men dehumanize women by submitting them to sexual violence to satisfy their needs and enjoy themselves. She used the images to portray her own experiences of sexual violence. Blac paints her traumatic memories of sexual abuse and prostitution to create a potent commentary on female objectification, pornographic, and pedophile culture. This paper provides an evaluation of how the work of Suzzan Blac portrays objectification, physical, and sexual violence against women. It also describes the treatment of women as marginalized people in society.

Suzzan Blac’s paintings “Shut Up and Take It” and “I’ve Killed Bitches Before” were triggered by the abuse she faced as a child. She was born in 1960 in the city of Birmingham in England. Her mother was neglectful and dysfunctional to the extent that she hated her own children. Suzzan was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriends and their pedophile acquaintance. She was tricked into a brothel in mid-teens. She was repeatedly raped and recorded for pornographic films (Nordic Model 3). She managed to escape the brothel after experiencing a barrage of sexual violence and torture. She suffered from depression and post-traumatic disorder that made her attempt suicide. She chose to use art to paint her story of abuse to aid her recovery. Her artwork work was controversial since it was meant to serve a therapeutic purpose. The controversial aspect of the art was due to the fact she painted the images to transfer her pain, anger, and madness in her head to something tangible and real. She wanted to have something she could look at and analyze from diverse perspectives.

Though the artwork is controversial, it portrays the fact that it has been subjected to sexual violence that leaves them traumatic memories, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Men physically abuse women to satisfy their sexual needs while others do it for fun as a show of masculinity. It has led to women to be sexual objects that can be used any time by a man to enjoy himself regardless of whether the woman likes it or not. It has resulted in physical violence and brutalization of women by men through the dehumanizing act of rape and sexual abuse (Nordic Model 5). This leaves a large number of women population in the society traumatized and dejected.

The paintings “Shut Up and Take It” and “I’ve Killed Bitches Before” differs from other works that portray women subordinating their self-image to fetishism rather than signifying physical and sexual violence they are subjected to. In her artwork, Blac does portray the experiences women are subjected to by men using images that depict physical and sexual violence rather than arraying and representing women in carefully posed photos or sculptures. Her work helps society understand violence against women to combat the menace.

Blac used automation methods to carry out her work. Her work is evident on the subject of physical and sexual violence since she does not use fragmented masculinity and flirtatious obscurantism. The paintings “Shut Up and Take It” and “I’ve Killed Bitches Before” depicts the fears and phantasmagoria that women experience throughout their lives since they are targets by violent men in the society. These paintings serve to take the community to more aphotic places when it comes to women and violence in society.

The theme of physical and sexual violence is rife within her work. The painting “I’ve Killed Bitches Before” is an expressionistic image that shows a skinless cadaver holding a woman against the wall, with a dagger. The image depicts the first nights’ women spend locked in brothels. Though the liberal prostitution discussion puts it as an act of choice, the work brings the theme of marginalization in society. Young girls and women from poor social and economic backgrounds are subjected to prostitution and rendered sexual servants for those who use them for pleasure and profit (Bindel 55). Women from poor backgrounds often find themselves tricked into brothels, where they serve people with higher socioeconomic backgrounds with little or no choice. The image “I’ve Killed Bitches Before” shows that women who face sexual violence often have no other choice rather than submitting to their tormentor.  The image also portrays physical and sexual violence due to the fact the cadaver in the picture holds a weapon against the woman. He is ready to use the knife if the lady does not submit to his demands (Blac 23). He is determined to use violence to subdue the woman.

The theme of objectification and physical violence is portrayed in the painting “Shut Up and Take It.” The images show a masculine face with risen nerves, predatory teeth, and serpent tongue. The man rips into the girl with his hand pushing her into him. From the image, it is clear that the man objectifies the woman as a tool of sexual usage. To the man, a victim is a sexual object whose purpose is to satisfy him sexually. It also portrays the theme of physical violence. From the image, the man seems to use force to achieve his objective. He holds the woman forcefully on the face, and the woman appears to be experiencing pain.

The paintings were done to portray the traumatic memories of sexual violence, abuse, and prostitution that Blac and other victims like her experiences after being subjected to the dehumanizing acts by men. Her work challenges the society to face and deal with the tribulation of violence against women to eradicate the menace. She chose not to paint her suffering in miserable glimpses from behind gentle of locks of hair; instead, she wants to depict the actual violence that women undergo when they become victims of violent men. The painting depicts the pain that women suffer when during and after experiencing physical or sexual abuse.

Though her artwork is controversial due to the fact that it was aimed for therapeutic purposes, it depicted the themes of sexual and physical violence against women, objectification, and marginalization of women in the society.