Throughout history, women have often been painted as objects for the male gaze. In Angela Fraleigh’s work, however, they converse and engage—existing for themselves rather than a viewer. In her recreations of historic paintings, the artist extracts the male figures, drawing our attention to the women and creating space for them to exist on their own.
In this image, Fraleigh combines figures from a 17th-century painting of the biblical story of Lot and his resourceful daughters with a thistle pattern taken from a 19th-century textile. This fabric was designed by Candace Wheeler, an American artist and women’s rights advocate. Gilding the botanical design, Fraleigh honors both Wheeler and Lot’s daughters. Underscored by the title, These things are your becoming, the combined images become a tribute to the countless women who have taken control of their own fate.
