Still Life: Expressing a Cultural Issue

North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC is home to many different cultural pieces of art; which include African, Jewish, Egyptian, and Italian art. It is also the first museum in the nation to purchase art with public funds (“Permanent Collection”). The museum holds many beautiful paintings and sculptures, however there was one piece by Beth Lipman that stood out to me. All of Lipman’s sculptures are made entirely of glass, with an exception of a wooden shelf or table. Her sculptures exhibit the still life culture, which is the arrangement of inanimate objects to represent a person or idea. She has exhibited her work as south at the Ringling Museum of Art in Florida, and as far north as the ICA/MECA in Maine,and even in other countries like the Gustavsbergs Konsthall in Sweden. Lipman’s art has also been purchased and kept in many museums including the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, and the Corning Museum of Glass in New York (“About”). The piece of hers that resides in the North Carolina Museum of Art is titled “Bride.” Although Lipman never states what the sculpture represents, I believe that the purpose was to represent a bride who is marrying an abusive husband. The tiered structure was to imitate an American wedding cake. The way that the top tier is neat and put together while the bottom tier is messy and crowded, scattered with wild animals, represents that the surface of a marriage may look nice but inside it is really chaos. It is interesting that she constructed such a beautiful sculpture to represent a horrifying situation, and i believe that it was to give the abused brides to-be and wives, that something beautiful is awaiting them once they free themselves from their shackles.



The use of glass is a symbol in itself. It represents purity and perfection. I also noted that a lot of couples receive china as wedding gifts that most likely sit inside a cabinet collecting dust, however it is lovely to look at and admire. Weddings are the same in a way. They are expensive, elaborate, and a beautiful representation, but they are over in about two hours and while the wedding might be perfect, the marriage could be a disaster.

I also believe that the black stand is of some significance. Visually, I believe that it provides contrast against the clear glass. Symbolically, I believe that the black represents the darkness in an abusive relationship, specifically marriage, and the glass represents the good parts of it. The stand serves as the core of the sculpture while the glass is on the outside of the sculpture. This shows that when you look on the surface of a marriage it seems perfect, but the core of the relationship and what goes on behind closed doors could be dark, dangerous, and broken.



The picture above is of a traditional wedding cake, that of which Lipman wanted to model her sculpture after. The top tier of “Bride” is neat and put together nicely; as you move down the tiers, the organization of the glass gets messier. This is representing that a wedding and marriage may look perfect and in order on the surface, but the relationship could be messy and complicated, in this case dangerous. The reason why Lipman adds tiny wild animals to the base of the structure is to have them represent the severity of the situation, and to emphasize the damage an abusive relationship can cause just like an untamed, wild animal. This is why she adds them at the messiest part of the sculpture.



This picture is so incredible.  It shows the most amazing message that Lipman was trying to show in her sculpture. The portrait on the left shows a beautiful couple ready to get married. The second you look at them you feel excited and happy for them, starting a life together. Once you look at the portrait on the right, you are in horror and disbelief. Then you look back at the picture on the right and think, “But they look so happy and she doesn’t look like she’s in pain or afraid.” This is what Lipman is attempting to show through “Bride.”

Domestic violence is a serious problem. It affects all kinds of people; rich, poor, black, white, female, and even male. Many domestic violence reports are excused or denied, which makes it much harder for the victim to come forward. Most of the time, the victims need encouragement from friends and family in order to come forward and report their abuser. The problem with domestic violence is victim blaming and the traumatization the victim has to go through in the reporting process, so many events go unreported. One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. In two out of three female homicides, the killer was the female’s family member or intimate partner, and sixty perecent of domestic violence occurs inside the home.

I love that Lipman turned a depressing message into a beautiful sculpture. This is a lesson to be learned. Even if someone is in an abusive marriage, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, and this is true for anyone who is going through a hard time not just abuse. I am a prime example. I am currently going through a hard time in my life and there are times when I think that nothing will ever get better when times are tough, but they will, and they do.

Works Cited:

Thaneeya. "Still Life Paintings and Drawings Explained." Art Is Fun. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. <http://www.art-is-fun.com/still-life-paintings/>.

Schneider, Norbert. Still life. Taschen, 2003.

Phelps, Delmus. "Still Life Symbolism, Why Skulls, Books, and Candles in Still Life Oil Painting." Easy-oil-painting-techniques.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. <http://www.easy-oil-painting-techniques.org/still-life-symbolism.html>.

"Permanent Collection." Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://ncartmuseum.org/art/overview/>.

"About." Beth Lipman. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://www.bethlipman.com/about/>.

"Domestic Violence and Abuse." : Signs of Abuse and Abusive Relationships. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://www.helpguide.org/articles/abuse/domestic-violence-and-abuse.htm>.

"Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts." Safe Horizon. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016. <http://www.safehorizon.org/page/domestic-violence-statistics--facts-52.html>.