Blood Rose

One of the older mythological creatures of darkness, the vampire has in the past been associated with the archetype of the femme fatale, a powerful and irresistable female figure, considered at the time of the 'Enlightenment' (late 19th centurey) to be the symbolic antithesis to the highest ideal of civilization - the white, upper-middle class capitalist male. At a time when all things female, sexual, and 'other' were forced into the underground, she became a powerful creative symbol for artists such as Oscar Wilde (author of 'Salome') and Aubrey Beardsly (illustrator of the time, also involved in the making of 'Salome'), and an underground source of power for some women in a society where women were essentially powerless. For further reading on this topic, I recomend 'Sisters of Salome', by Toni Bently, and 'Evil Sisters: The Threat of Female Sexuality and the Cult of Manhood' by Bram Dijkstra.

Medium: Acrylic on Masonite.

I give my full permission for to display this deviation in the club's gallery!