bathtub mermaid

Biblical Portraits

I have always been fascinated with the role of women in the Judeo-Christian doctrines. The portrayal of the female throughout religious dogma is misogynistic at best; from the very beginning Eve is created from Adam’s disposable rib (whereas he himself is modeled in the image of God). She is inherently inferior, dependant on man for her very existence, and subsequently becomes the cause of mortality, of pain, and of suffering.

 

While some may say that this is irrelevant in our largely secularized, supposedly scientifically founded society that religion is merely archaic. I disagree, however. I firmly believe that religion provides a fabric, entwined in the very foundation of our society and our collective opinions. And these misogynistic sentiments have become imbued within our consciousness.

 

I have attempted to appropriate iconic biblical imagery by borrowing from historical religious works of art. While remaining true to the canonical symbolism, I have tried to subtly contemporize these photos, imbuing them with a current relevancy, while still harnessing the innate power of these icons.

 

Feminist theorist Naomi Wolf argues that in modern society, the subjugation of the female within religion has been replaced with the equally omnipotent power of the beauty standard which functions in a similar role. She compares beauty regiments to rituals of the church, basing her argument around how advertisers now assign a moral imperative to beauty (for instance sexual abstinence has been replaced with a need to abstain from a new oral pleasure; chocolate is sinful, but salvation can be found in diet products). No longer is a “good” woman a pious one suppressed by her sexual chastity, but rather the feminine value is placed solely in the arena of appearance. In an attempt to pay homage to Wolf’s ideas, and lend this canonical imagery a topical contextualization in modernity, I wanted to make these photographs aesthetically focused, almost as though they could be in fashion magazines (which I suppose could be construed as the contemporaneous master paintings of antiquity). I emphasized the beauty elements of these photographs, contrary to the naturalistic aesthetic of classical paintings. My icons wear meticulous and exaggerated make-up; St. Catherine dons green nail polish and Mother Mary wears harlot red lipstick.

 

The characters I have chosen resonate with misogyny and themes of subjugation in their pedigrees, many of which I feel are incredibly relevant to contemporary women’s issues. The wayward adulteress, the defiant wife, the pious mother and the starving saint, though antiquated, are all allegories that , in my opinion, correlate with modern perspectives of the female.

 

While predominantly I have focused on female characters within the Judeo-Christian doctrines, I did attempt to emulate some masculine icons and subsequently played upon the sexual ambiguity of religious paintings. It was my intention that this reversal of gender would further emphasize and put into question the nature of gender roles in religion and the implicit misogyny therein.

 

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