“Woman Eating” is a hyper-realistic sculpture by Duane Hanson, created in 1971 using materials such as polyester, fiberglass, acrylic, and oil. Measuring 127 x 76.2 cm, this piece belongs to the hyper-realism art movement and is an installation/sculpture genre work. It is housed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, USA.
The artwork depicts a life-sized woman seated at a small diner-style table. She is dressed in a brightly patterned orange dress with short sleeves. Her attire is that of a typical American woman of the early 1970s, complete with a watch on her left wrist and a pair of glasses. She wears simple shoes and socks and has a dated hairstyle that fits with the period. On the table, one can notice a variety of items that include what looks like a partially eaten meal, a drink, a salt shaker, and menus, contributing to the overall mundane yet intimate scene the artist captures. Next to the woman, there’s a shopping bag on one side and what appears to be her purse on the floor. The meticulousness in the details, from the texture of her hair to the folds in her dress and the expression on her face, is characteristic of Hanson’s work and exemplifies the hyper-realistic desire to blur the lines between art and reality.