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Unnerving the Viewer

Conveying the Sinister in Art

Frances Powell
Write About Art 6
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Artists are able to create psychic spaces. These spaces may evoke emotional responses from the viewer, such as drawing out repressed anxieties, or even insecurities, through strategic manipulation of visual elements. As this approach appears to be growing in popularity, we must consider the question—why are we drawn to images that force us to delve into the innermost part of our psyche and face our fears? Contemporary art has become a means of dramatically exposing underlying issues at the heart of our society, while pushing viewers out of their comfort zone to discover previously unexplored parts of their disposition.

Contemporary artists, Anne Wallace and Gregory Crewdson, embody this unnerving, figurative style, by capturing an undeniable sense of disquiet in their works. Their aesthetic narratives are scripted with sinister suggestions to ultimately unsettle the viewer. So, why are we almost magnetically drawn to images which discomfort us? Perhaps, through the safe confinement of a gallery or home, we revel in the opportunity to dip into the darkest parts of ourselves, to explore our issues with identity, the female experience, and relationships. 

Anne Wallace’s work scrutinises human fixations and the unconventional nature of everyday life, to allow the viewer to reflect on their individual fears and anxieties. Wallace suggests that contemporary artists feel pressured to create works which are affirming and offer an attractive escape for viewers. Despite this, she feels that it is important to contribute images that are subversive. Wallace paints scenes which ‘represent a fairly bleak world view that can pertain to anybody’ and, subsequently, they may appear ‘really quite banal, [however], the merest suggestion makes them disturbing’ (Wallace, 2014). In painting this way, she aims to expose the... The rest of this article is available to subscribers of Eyeline

Anne Wallace, She Is,  2001.

Anne Wallace, She Is,  2001. Oil on canvas, 164 x 197cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Purchased 2002. © Anne Wallace.

Gregory Crewdson, Untitled from ‘Beneath the Roses’, 2004

Gregory Crewdson, Untitled from ‘Beneath the Roses’, 2004. Digital chromogenic print, 144.8 x 223.6cm. © Gregory Crewdson. Courtesy the artist, Luhring Augustine and White Cube.