Kiki Smith
2001
Ink and pencil on paper
88 x 73 inches
"In the Louvre I saw a picture of Genevieve sitting with the wolves and the lambs...I had stopped making images of people for a couple of years; I just wanted to make animals. But then I saw that picture, and I thought, it's really important to put them all together. So I drew my friend Genevieve as the Genevieve, and then I made all these wolves (I didn't make lambs)" -- Kiki Smith (Art:21)
Kiki Smith uses natural and spiritual motifs in her work. There is often a feminine mythological presence, the notion that the artist is referencing an ancient fable or tribal creation myth. Smith's interest in storytelling infuses her work with ancient or mystical meaning, especially since she tends to revisit the same subjects in many of her pieces. There is a female character that seems to be reoccurring, as well as a wolf and deer theme in many of her drawings and sculptures. Smith's treatment of characters is a signal to her audience that the artwork follows some sort of overarching narrative – a story that talks of the human experience by using icons as visual metaphor.
Smith is a feminist and socially conscious artist and, as such, intentionally creates images with subliminal or intended meanings. Smith acknowledges that repetition is a powerful tool, both visually and behaviorally, and uses repetition to express spiritual or ritualistic feelings through her artwork (Art 21). In 'Lying with the Wolf,” there is an obvious feminist theme; we see a nude female figure, reclining as she embraces a wolf. The wolf, a typical figure in myth and fables, is a symbol of evil, temptation or downfall, but here we see a placid wolf, welcoming the woman's embrace. It looks as though, in a peaceful manner, the woman has tamed the wolf.
What isn't evident on this page is that Smith's drawing is actually quite large and, in a gallery setting, hangs wrinkled and pinned to the wall, reminding us of a bed sheet, table cloth, or other domestic piece of fabric. The depiction of a woman and dangerous animal so easily coexisting is a powerful visual message, one that reminds us of Biblical characters, figures from Greek myth, and even eastern deities. It is a clear statement of female strength throughout mythological and spiritual history. This pairing of characters also provides us with an updated version of ancient images, since the drawing includes no recent iconography, architecture, personal effects or materials. Smith's drawing offers us a contemporary description of an ancient female force.