The Art of Looking Back: A Painter, an Obsession, and Reclaiming the Gaze

A former artist’s model and muse reclaims her image and voice, dismantling the male gaze that once framed her.

At 23, Theresa Kishkan met an artist who became obsessed with her. She was young, she was flattered, and the situation quickly overwhelmed her. He drew and painted her for a few months, after which she went away for a year. When she returned, she was determined not to resume the relationship.

But the artist made contact with her after the birth of her first child and became a fami...