Dana Schutz's Post-Partum Paintings at Petzel Gallery Explore Motherhood Through Cubist Chaos

Dana Schutz presented twelve large paintings and four drawings at Petzel Gallery in New York from September 10 to October 24, 2015. Most works were created in the months following the birth of her child a year earlier, marking a shift from outward-looking themes to introspective explorations of parenthood. The exhibition, titled 'Fight in an Elevator,' included monumental pieces like the nearly 10-by-20-foot 'Shaking Out the Bed' and the human-scaled 'Sleepwalker.' Schutz employed fractured, Cubist-inspired perspectives to convey emotional states, with paintings such as 'Lion Eating Its Tamer' and 'The Glider' depicting the physical and psychological realities of motherhood. Specific details in 'Shaking Out the Bed' included a calendar page showing June 27 and a digital clock reading 12:31, alongside personal markers like Self magazines. The show's entryway featured 'Sleepwalker,' which portrays a figure in a yellow t-shirt with 'Adidas' altered to 'Adida,' referencing the Spanish verb for acceptance. Schutz's work drew comparisons to artists like Philip Guston, Elizabeth Murray, Nicole Eisenman, and Judith Linhares, who have also examined family experiences. The review positions Schutz as a significant contemporary painter, noting her bold experimentation with form and subject matter to articulate personal feelings through paint.