Ruby Sky Stiler Reassesses Women’s Role in Art History in Geometric Portraits

Up close, the irregularly gridded, geometric backgrounds of Ruby Sky Stiler’s paintings evoke patchwork or the patterns of agricultural landscapes seen aerially. Intricate patterns intersect in each rectangle, hinting at floral or decorative motifs that, when viewed from further away, appear almost topographical. Merging with this groundwork are boldly delineated women who often directly return the viewer’s gaze.

Reassessing the history of Western art, Stiler positions women in what she has previously described as “the empowered role as The Artist.” Rather than muses or objectified subjects, she imbues her figures with qualities of control, liberty, and leisure.

a painting of a woman and two children composed of abstract, patterned, geometric shapes, rendered overall in a light blue — “Woman with Children in Blue” (2024), canvas, acrylic, pencil, and jade adhesive on panel, 44 x 50 inches

Recently on view at Frieze LA with Alexander Gray Associates, Stiler’s paintings continue to reenvision 20th-century abstraction, especially the predominantly male Cubist movement that burgeoned around 1907 and 1908. She turns the tables on the historically gendered dichotomy in fine art, transferring the role of women as subjects of paintings to that of creator.

In works like “Women with Children in Blue,” Stiler portrays nude figures in repose or with children, emphasizing another potent definition of women as creators and caregivers. Through mosaic-like compositions, she challenges art historical tropes and reasserts more inclusive, contemporary definitions of gender roles in art.

Stiler employs a meticulous graphite transfer process to apply patterned outlines to her pieces, nodding to textile design—a craft tradition also historically trivialized in the art world as “women’s work.” Pastel acrylic hues fill out bodies and backgrounds, while bold outlines evocative of minimalist Bauhaus design clarify bodies and objects.

Stiler is currently preparing a solo exhibition with Alexander Gray Associates scheduled for November. Explore more on her website and Instagram.

a painting of two seated and reclining women, composed of abstract, patterned, geometric shapes, rendered overall in a light orange — “Two Women in Sienna and Umber, with Red Outline” (2024), canvas, acrylic, pencil, and jade adhesive on panel, 44 x 50 inches

a painting of a woman's head with bold blue hair, composed of abstract, patterned, geometric shapes, rendered overall in a light blue hue — “Blue Woman” (2024), canvas, acrylic, pencil, and jade adhesive on wood panel, 18 x 15 1/2 inches

a painting of a nude woman kneeling, composed of abstract, patterned, geometric shapes, rendered overall in a light blue — “Seated Blue Figure (with turquoise and red outline)” (2024), canvas, acrylic, graphite, and jade adhesive on panel, 44 x 34 inches

an artwork in progress in Ruby Sky Stiler's studio, showing a transfer stencil of a pattern onto canvas that she is slowly peeling back — The artist transfers graphite patterns onto canvas

a tabletop in artist Ruby Sky Stiler's studio with sketches for new paintings, shown as the artist picks them up and displays a couple — Stiler displays preparatory sketches in her studio

pieces of canvas and yellow tape pasted on a surface with notes about the placement on a painting, like "cheek" and "chin" marked in pencil — Swatches are labeled for use in a painting

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