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Emily Ludwig Shaffer

AmericanAmerican
, b. 1988

Emily Ludwig Shaffer explores the concept of gender within domestic settings through her Surrealist paintings. In her evocative variations, Shaffer delves into the dimensions of space, time, color, and discipline, as well as the environments shaped and inhabited by women. Within her artwork, one can find female statues gracefully positioned amidst hedges, pools, and luxuriant greenery, serving as focal points for her inquiry into human fascination with spaces and the gendered associations tied to feminine activities such as gardening. Through her understated sculptures, Shaffer delves into the emotions and depictions of women that were absent in historical imagery. Departing from the conventional role of statues as symbols of societal perceptions, Shaffer transforms women into defiant, apathetic, and indifferent figures, as evident in her piece "The Secret Garden Femme" created in 2018. Employing meticulous layers of oil paint on canvas, she constructs a vast field of smooth expanses and surreal visuals. Shaffer honed her artistic skills at the Rhode Island School of Design and earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University.