And, What? Painting

"And, What?" is a provocative and thought-provoking piece which explores feminism, female sexuality, and societal expectations to women. Feminism is a sliding scale, from the dark side of rape, domestic violence and abuse, through to the joy of equality, empowerment and opportunity. "And, What?" looks to expose by pulling the audience between the two. The sharp contrast between the bright, mark-making of the abstract background which is unique to the artists style and the clean and considered portraiture, looks to expose the intricacies and greyness of life for women. In this piece the frame is dominated by the female figure and the two subjects sexuality. It also looks to unite the two women as equals in the intrinsic mess of life. The muddying of the mark making into the portraits is a reflection of the impact of society, into our mental health, and shines a light that perception is not what is to always be believed. Initially audiences may feel that this piece is a celebration, but on deeper inspection of the paint drips and marks in unison with the portrait, it exposes and shines a light on the societal expectations for women to be sexual but not slutty, happy but not over the top, satisfied but not gluttonous.