For centuries, the female body has been the alluring subject for many painters and photographers, from Pablo Picasso to Helmut Newton. The fullness, the roundness and the attraction of the female body are simply too beautiful not to appreciate in the art form. According to Susan Rubin Suleiman, author of The Female Body in Western Cultlure, “The female body has occupied a central place in the Western imagination, its images pervading poetry and story, mythology and religious doctrine, the visual arts, and scientific treatises. It has inspired both attraction and fear, been perceived as beautiful and unclean, alluring and dangerous, a source of pleasure and nurturing but also a source of evil and destruction.” 
For decades, I have recognized my feminine side with beauty products, hair color, stylish clothes, jewelry and perfumes. It wasn’t until I received a diagnosis of breast cancer two weeks ago, that I began to fully appreciate the beauty of the female body. I had been away on travel to attend my father’s wedding when I received the fateful phone call. Enjoying a coffee date with one of my sisters, my cell phone rang and the radiology technician read me the pathology report from my recent biopsy. With an impending breast surgery now scheduled for later this month, I've decided to engross myself in studying the art of the female breast.
Could I soak up all the beauty of mine own until then? One friend suggested plaster of paris. You know, make a plaster model of my breasts before the surgery so that I can remember how stunning they were before I went under the knife. I carefully considered this idea, but wondered where would I display “the breasts” in my house. Another friend hinted at doing a series of before and after photographs which could provide an artful documentary of my journey, but would I find beauty amongst all the scars? Finally, a third friend recommended a breast tattoo. I could design an artful bouquet of flowers that would bloom in abundance where there was once a nipple. Interesting. The pain of the tattoo needle would pale in comparison to the physical and emotional pain of losing breast tissue. What would Picasso or Miro or Dali suggest? Would they have considered painting a woman with no breasts?
Gale O’Brien lives in New Mexico surrounded by the love and support of her friends. If you have ideas or suggestions of how to celebrate the art of the female breast, then email her at gale2430@yahoo.com.
Photo credits: Dinh Hanh, vxartnews.com; unknown, drwlcarter.com; unknown, ebay.com.
