the rules of engagement

2016-19 Oil on Italian Linen 120x100cm

She is almost two and a half thousand years old. And carries a burden of expectations. 

Long considered the embodiment of the feminine ideal, this statue has been the ultimate social influencer. Numerous copies in various iterations were made by everyone from the Romans through the Renaissance to the nineteenth century, owned by the wealthy and influential, she was the original viral sensation, setting the standard for the artistic depiction of female beauty which in turn set the standard in real life. 

Balanced uncomfortably, trying complete her beauty routine while to protect her modesty, it seems nothing much has changed. The rules persist:
Between the model and artist.
Between the artist and client.
Between the work and the viewer.
Between the women and men.
The weight of expectation.
Begat the rules of engagement.