The Idea of You

Author Robinne Lee uses art throughout the novel to convey Solène Marchand’s deep passion for art and to highlight a greater message about society’s treatment of women. As a gallery owner who promotes the work of primarily women artists, Solène details throughout the novel the various art works featured in her gallery. Solène attributes her love of art and her career as the cause of her marriage’s demise. Her choice to pursue her career rather than submit to her ex-husband Daniel’s demands to focus on motherhood characterizes Solène as an independent woman who is unafraid to rebel against society’s expectation of women. The artwork she features in her gallery highlights this same subversion of expectations. One particular piece by Ailynne Cho entitled “Unclose Me” features a nude woman in a seductive scene. Hayes purchases the piece for Solène after she describes how much she loves it. Lee creates this piece as Hayes’s gift to Solène to convey his support of Solène’s passion and to juxtapose him to Daniel. The piece also emphasizes a woman’s sexuality, which mirrors Solène’s own journey of self-discovery through her sexual relationship with Hayes. While society pressures women to hide their sexuality once they are past the age of traditional objectification, the visual art imagined Lee’s work celebrates every element of womanhood regardless of age.