Slave to Vanity Series 2009

Michael St. Amand's ART INSTALLATION EXPLORES AMERICA’S OBSESSION WITH BEAUTY

“Mirror mirror, on the wall, who’s the most beautiful of all?” You can never be too beautiful or too thin, but can you ever be beautiful enough? Are we fixated on beauty and the means and methods to achieve it? Michael St. Amand offers a stirring and evocative look at our yearning for a flawless appearance with SLAVE TO VANITY.

The media shows us perfect beauty every time we turn on our television or open a magazine. We are constantly bombarded with images of pop-culture figures—singers, actors, athletes and other celebrities—being made-up and air-brushed to the nth degree, lest there be a hint of imperfection. Is our fixation on our appearance a good thing, or have we gone too far? Have we become SLAVES TO VANITY, obsessed with our own beauty, locked in front of our mirror? 
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Concealing Vulnerability
Mixed Media With Mirrors on Canvas
54" x 72"
2009

Vanite'
Mixed Media on Canvas
84" x 72"
2009

Parisian Platitudes
Mixed Media on Canvas
48" x 54"
2009

Almost Emo
Mixed Media with Mirror
11" x 14"
2009

Hell Hell It's Tinkerbelle
Mixed Media on Canvas
11" x 14"
2009

Advantages
Mixed Media with Feather & Crop on Canvas
36" x 36"
2009

Decadent Marilyn
Mixed Media on Paper
Image Size 13" x 18"
2009

Marilyn's Muse
Mixed Media on Paper
Image size 24" x 34"
2009

Marilyn By Any Other Name
Mixed Media on Paper
24" x 36"
2009

Slave To Vanity
Wood, mirrors, fake fur, stainless steel restraints & collar, chains
24"w x 43"h x 36"d
2008

Versace
Mixed Media on Canvas
12" x 12"
2009

Armani
Mixed Media on Canvas
12" x 12"
2009

Deutcher Glamour
Mixed Media on Canvas
12" x 12"
2009

Maybelline
Mixed Media on Canvas
12" x 12"
2009

Purple Chair
Wood, mirrors, velvet, purple leather restraints, stainless steel, chains
28"w x 73"h X 19"d
2009

The four paintings: Versace, Armani, Deutcher Glamour & Maybelline were created as a part of the installation with the original "Slave To Vanity" from magazine advertisements from the various vendors, The colors used were to match the vanity and red chair. The formats were made as a series of four blocks to sit together with the vanity.