, 2008. Fibreglass stone and airplane. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 2011. Photo © Roman März](/images/content/menuSeeGallery.png)
Benjamin West
The Death of General Wolfe (Detail), 1770
oil on canvas
152.6 x 214.5 cm
Transfer from the Canadian War Memorials, 1921 (Gift of the 2nd Duke of Westminster, England, 1918)
National Gallery of Canada (no. 8007)
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Sulking Room, 1987
Jana Sterbak
Czechoslovakian, Canadian, 1955
white embroidery on black felt
137.2 x 182.9 cm maximum irregular
Gift of Ydessa Hendeles, Toronto, 1993
National Gallery of Canada (no. 37582)
The term “boudoir” originated in the eighteenth century to describe a room in which aristocratic women could retire to be alone. Revealing the history of the word (from the French "bouder"), Sterbak suggests a more subversive use of this room. While the idea of sulking often connotes a negative stereotype of female behaviour, it can also suggest a way of manipulating or controlling a situation by withdrawing. The sulking room becomes a private, feminine space where women are able to exercise a certain degree of power, and can seclude themselves, evading the public sphere.
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More from Jana Sterbak
I Can Hear You Think (Dedicated to Stephen Hawking)head with wire coil: 13 x 8.8 x 11 cm; head: 15.3 x 9.5 x 12.7 cm; cord: 312 cm long
Untitled (I Want You to Feel the Way I Do)27.6 x 21.2 cm each
DeclarationSwan armchair: 77 x 75.5 x 68 cm; Egg armchair: 106 x 90 x 80 cm; table: 70 x 65.2 x 44.2 cm
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