Ron MUECK Pregnant woman 2002
© Ron Mueck Purchased with the assistance of Tony and Carol Berg 2003
Learning resource
Ron Mueck
‘I wanted to make something that a photograph wouldn’t do justice to… although I spend a lot of time on the surface, it’s the life inside that I want to capture’
Discussion Questions
- Pregnant woman 2002 towers over the viewer at 2.5 metres tall. How does Mueck’s manipulation of scale impact the viewer’s experience?
- What might the artist be commenting on through this work?
- How does this work fit within Mueck’s broader oeuvre? Are there any overlapping themes or ideas in his other works?
- How do you read her posture and facial expression? If you could read the pregnant woman’s thoughts what would she be thinking?
Art Making
- Create a life drawing based on Muecks’ sculpture. Focus first on the outline of her body, the scale and proportion of the body as a whole and the negative space surrounding the figure. Limit the amount of time per drawing- eg. 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes.
- Photograph someone with their eyes closed. See if you can capture a variety of moods and effects through the angles you choose.
- Create a whole body portrait by tracing the outline of your subject on paper, cardboard or pavement. Experiment with positions for greatest effect. Upscale your portrait by increasing the dimensions of the outline, decorate it to create emotion or intent. If it is possible cut out your figure and display it on a wall or in a space that will give emphasis to the size.
122875 Ron Mueck Pregnant woman 2002 mixed media, 252 x 78 x 72 cm, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased with the assistance of Tony and Carol Berg, 2003, © Ron Mueck, Courtesy the artist, Anthony d’Offay, London and Hauser & Wirth
Case Study
Representations of the female nude throughout art history
- How does Mueck’s Hyper Real portrayal compare with other representations of the female nude throughout art history?
- Apply the cultural or contemporary interpretive framework to compare Pregnant woman 2002 with Pierre Bonnard’s Woman in front of a mirror [Femme devant un miroir] c. 1908 and Yirawala’s Maralaitj, mother of the tribes c. 1965. Analyse how the values, beliefs and attitudes of the time impact their meaning.
Research Links
https://nga.gov.au/mueck/edu.cfm
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/stories/s2823967.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/02/1041196741543.html
Search for works by this artist in the national collection.