OIL PAINTING EXPLORATION ON ASIAN FEMALE BODY BEAUTY STANDARD

Abstract

This research investigates how oil painting can serve as a critical medium to challenge the standardized beauty ideals imposed on Asian female bodies. Rooted in feminist art criticism, body theory, and visual culture studies, the study addresses the prevalence of body anxiety shaped by societal norms emphasizing slimness, light skin, and youthfulness(Bartky 2015). The objective is to explore how fragmented oil painting compositions can subvert aesthetic hierarchies and encourage inclusive visual representation.

The research adopts a practice-based methodology that integrates theoretical inquiry with studio-based production. The creative process includes the development of a series of large-scale oil paintings that portray diverse body types through isolated, non-hierarchical panels. Each painted fragment emphasizes bodily presence without inviting direct comparison, promoting an individualized and non-idealized encounter with the body. Methods include literature review, feminist visual analysis(Pollock 2015), audience feedback, and critical self-reflection on painting as an epistemological tool.

The findings reveal that oil painting, through its scale, texture, and materiality, slows the act of looking and invites ethical engagement with bodily difference. Viewers reported a shift in perception, moving from initial discomfort to recognition and empathy. The fragmented format disrupted habitual visual consumption and reframed the body not as a site of flaw or correction, but as lived and complete. Audience responses and artistic reflection indicate that the paintings function not only as representations but as active interventions against internalized aesthetic standards.

In conclusion, this research contributes to contemporary art discourse by offering a feminist alternative to the representation of the Asian female body. It demonstrates how oil painting can reclaim space for bodily authenticity, challenging visual conformity and promoting aesthetic inclusivity. The study suggests that further research may explore the cross-cultural reception of diverse body imagery and extend practice-based methods to include other marginalized identities in visual art.

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