The artwork “Bleach,” created by Jenny Saville in 2008, belongs to the Neo-Expressionism art movement. This figurative and portrait piece is a characteristic representation of Saville’s intense and expressive style.
The artwork depicts a close-up portrait of a woman’s face, rendered with a raw and unfiltered realism that is both captivating and confronting. The subject’s facial features are marked with various bruises and abrasions, suggesting a narrative of physical struggle or trauma. Saville employs a thick, impasto application of paint, which adds a palpable texture and depth to the work. The use of pale, almost washed-out colors underscores the artwork’s title, “Bleach,” conveying a sense of exposure and vulnerability. The intensity of the gaze and the meticulous detail in the rendition of skin and wounds evoke a powerful emotional response, typical of the Neo-Expressionism movement’s focus on evoking raw human emotions.
