Substance Of Speculation: Gretchen Ryan

I met Gretchen Ryan's brother in the computer lab at school one day. After I told him I was an artist he says "cool, my sister's an artist". Of course I was skeptical because, well, everyone knows an artist... He proudly pulls up his sister's work online and suddenly, I'm very impressed. VERY impressed.

Not only is Ryan's work beautifully executed with skill and finesse, but conceptually she opens up a can of worms! Just depicting beauty-pageant girls lends a sour taste of Jon-Benet style tragedy that is still unresolved within the public psyche. American society is obsessed with beauty and youth, and these girls are the epitome. By seeing the extreme of this obsession within the fine art realm the viewer is confronted with the reality of these models and the future of expectation that sits on their shoulders. These works do not claim a political position and Ryan is deeply respectful of the models she works with. Instead She places the viewer in a position to consider what we see in front of us and to think about our reactions, that's all. Her work is deeply honest through its objectivity; Ryan doesn't claim a side, but certainly begs the viewer to ask.

Here is a link to a review on her last show:
http://artwelove.com/artist/-id/034763c2

and here are some pictures: