It is loyal to it's name, presenting itself as an attractive female torso. It also lacks arms, legs and a face, which forces the eyes to focus exclusively on the female anatomy. Why did Zorach choose a female for Torso instead of a male body? One reason perhaps is the fact that women are often stereotyped as sex symbols or objects in pop culture.
In today's world of Hollywood, Playboy and fat dieting this is even more true. We live in a sex culture, and this figure is representative of that.
It's interesting to note that Zorach clearly went out of his way to make this torso resemble an attractive female body. The sexual organs including the breasts and gluteus maximus are life size and attract attention when gazed upon. The curves and muscular physique that define a female's body anatomy are also present in great detail.
This initial focus on the sexual features of the female body leads me to wonder if that was Zorach's intent. Torso can be viewed as a sexual representation of a woman. The fact that it is present on a college campus filled with many students exploring sexual activity for the first time also does not seem like a coincidence. Audience and context are so important when judging art, and both of those were probably taken into consideration when creating this piece of artwork.
In a perfect world, Torso would be the ideal representation of a women. She has no scars, fat or deformities. She is young, fit and in shape. Would our perception of this figure change if she was ugly, fat or had sagging breasts? What would the message be then if juxtaposed with Torso? That is a theme I would like to explore further. But clearly, this body was meant to capture the female body at it's best.
But because Torso doesn't have a face, it seems to represent women in general. The lack of clothing strips away material things we see in the world such as money or stature. This is simply humanity at it's core, a naked body that is similar to what everyone is born with.
But the lack of a face makes Torso seems empty, cold and incomplete. This use of pathos to make us feel this way is his way of saying that focusing simply on sex and the sexual organs of the body will leave you feeling empty and cold. Anyone can enjoy a nice body. But maybe he is saying it is what is on the inside that counts. That's what life is about.
Yet clearly here on this piece of art, and for a lot of men out there, the female body is the primary focus for sexual pleasure. I also think that lack of an identity and the message about humanity in general's obsession with sex is an interesting use of ethos.
Overall this is a very interesting piece of artwork, and I am excited to explore it further during my project. What was his intent? Why did he choose a woman instead of a man? Why is the figure considered perfect and attractive with little to no flaws? And why is this piece of artwork on display at a college campus?
These are all important and relevant questions that will need to be addressed as I continue my research on Torso, by William Zorach
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