Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.F.A.
Degree Program
Fine Arts
Department
Fine Arts
Major Professor
Kathy Rodriguez
Second Advisor
Ariya Martin
Third Advisor
Tony Campbell
Abstract
My work explores the intersection of vulnerability, autonomy, and the female form by placing nude self-portraits within expressive, psychological landscapes. Drawing from historical representations of women in art, I subvert traditional narratives that have romanticized and objectified the female body, instead presenting figures that exist on their own terms. The night, with its inherent intimacy and uncertainty, deepens this exploration, amplifying themes of exposure, solitude, and self-reclamation.
Through large-scale oil paintings, I engage with ecofeminist ideas, paralleling the exploitation of women and nature while resisting their passive idealization. These figures are not objects of consumption but active presences navigating the complexities of their environments. My work invites viewers to reconsider the relationship between body and space, challenging ingrained perceptions of nudity, femininity, and power. By embracing rawness and psychological depth, I transform both the figure and the landscape into sites of confrontation, reflection, and agency.
Recommended Citation
Adams, Mary E., "Descent into the Wild: Nature, Nudity, and the Night" (2025). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3233.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3233
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.