Excerpt from Woman with Knife No. 5

Woman with Knife No. 5 -page 3-

JODY

But why this whole idea...nudes, public places. [looks at knife] Razor sharp cutting implements. What's the point?

LEE, for the first time in the conversation, abruptly stops her painting and directly addresses JODY

LEE

Look. Art has this power to move people, to make them feel things. Deep down. Viscerally. The fear of pain, of violence, the anticipation of death – it goes right to our core. And the nude human form...if anything moves us, it's that.

JODY

Don't they say women prefer looking at women? That men are sexually driven by the visual, but not women? So I guess painting women...you satisfy both sexes.

LEE

That's bull. If women like looking at women, it's because they're socially conditioned to, by glamour magazines, Hollywood, exploitive advertising—

JODY

And before that, portrait painting. Caravaggio, Rubens. See, I know my shit. [polishes her knuckles against an invisible suit, feigning pride] Bachelors in Art history.

LEE

But they were trying to please. To titillate. What I'm doing is—

JODY

Oh no, you want to titillate, too. And titillate yourself. Hey, I get it now! You're a "feminist." You get off on it.

LEE

And you’re an asshole.

To the side of the road a young couple, man and woman, jog by. The man stares at JODY. The woman catches sight of the man staring

FEMALE JOGGER

Hey! Don’t look at that!

MALE JOGGER

What?

JODY watches them go by, and then turns back. She tries to taunt Lee, moving the knife along the edge of her body as she speaks...