I am a Ph.D student of eighteenth century French painting and visual culture studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Other areas of study include psychoanalysis, queer theory, and environmental studies. My current work examines the way in which painted forms work to elicit spectatorial encounters and instruct perceivers how to apprehend images. Two specific theories I am currently working with include Julia Kristeva's concept of abjection and Jacques Lacan's analysis of line and light.