Page Six of Fetish Book
11"x 8 1/2"
Acrylic and collage
2001

Diana Schmertz was born and raised in New York City. Using humor to express the morbid, her work presents the human form in its physical and psychological configurations. The dichotomy of seduction is clearly present in her images, as provocation is played out through innocence. She portrays brooding figures that provoke and appear sexual, yet seem unaware of their own bodies. Fragmented and objectified forms struggle towards an integrated identity. She has chosen painting as her medium in this exploration of the unspeakable, as these images are meant to be “to be seen, not heard.” Upon close examination, though, one might hear the silent voice muted in these inaudible works. Currently, she is working on a series that investigates fear and the seven deadly sins, in a psychological rather than religious sense. Each painting, through the use of female figures, explores how fear can cause someone to put herself through a personal hell.

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