Neal Rantol

The piece of work that will be the basis for this analysis is from the Monsters gallery produced by Neal Rantoul, located in The Fitchburg Art Museum. The piece is a photograph of a female mannequin head, with a black wig and red lipstick. This essay explores society’s obsession with perfection, and how it specifically conveyed through this image. This idea of perfection versus imperfection, is empathized by Rantoul’s use of color, texture, and materials.
At first glance the most prominent element Rantoul uses is color, specifically the use of the color red. The first place my eyes went to when I initially looked at the image was the red lips. The red is vibrant so it catches the viewers eye, and serves as the center of the piece. For example, …show more content…
This photograph is composed of a full face mannequin wear a wig. These materials embody the definition of fake. Most wigs are made of factory-made synthetic hairs, not actual hair. The mannequin itself is made of plastic, and has a painted on face. The face is manually constructed to look a certain way; to look flawless. The lips are neatly painted red, the cheek bones are highlighted upon the pale skin, and the eyes are memorizing. The face and head are chiseled into ideal shapes, and the wig although displaced has quintessential qualities such as its shine. Considering the subject is made out materials that are artificial and as a result has a flawless physique. All of which, reflect on the point of society’s high standards only being reached by some form of false …show more content…
The “skin” of the mannequin is completely smooth, there are no pores, wrinkles, caked makeup, or anything that signifies the imperfection the average woman possess. However, despite the unblemished surface of the mannequin, Rantoul creates some juxtaposition in his placement of the wig. When you examine the photograph, the wig resembles the rough appearance similar to that of someone who has just woken up from a hard night’s sleep. Using this imagery helps to relate back to the internal struggle that many people go through when it comes to their confidence in their appearance. People who are filled with body insecurities tend to stress over their look to the point where they lose sleep. Rantoul is using the two different textures to showcase the two different sides of someone struggling to perfect their physical appearance. The smooth skin represents the end result of dressing themselves up to societies standards. While the tousled hair stands for the stress and the mental mess individual put themselves to achieve such