Protection Print

This is a sombre study of a vulnerable older woman looking through her window. She has not dressed and is shown in a dressing gown and shower cap, suggesting that she has nothing to get dressed for. The interior view of the window and figure is painted in greys and muted colour to reflect her mood; whilst the exterior is in stark white to contrast this and hint at the obsession for sanitising in the ‘new normal’ world we now live in. The viewer is led to question the ethics of the lockdowns and cutting off our most elderly and vulnerable from society. It also references the trend for painting rainbows and placing them in windows, to show support for the NHS, who are reported to be overwhelmed. This painting asks the viewer to determine who needs protection the most: the elderly and vulnerable, who are suffering from loneliness and isolation, which in turn affects their physical and mental health; or the NHS who may be overwhelmed if lockdowns end abruptly and are reportedly short of beds and understaffed?