"Monday" (2004) by Sharon Shapiro

"Monday" (2004) by Sharon Shapiro

See all posts on Sharon Shapiro. From the Tullman collection.

"Ease" (2005) by Sharon Shapiro

"Ease" (2005) by Sharon Shapiro, Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches, courtesy of Lawrence Asher Gallery

Sharon Shapiro (Bluefield, West Virginia, USA) lives and works in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Images of women that I saw growing up shaped my personal idea of sexuality and simultaneously created a deep sense of unease. I paint mostly girls and women in an attempt to decode femininity, desire, and the push-pull between control and compliance felt as a female.

I work from found photos, ads from the 50’s and 60’s, images of my daughter and myself in order to raise the question: has our vulnerability to outside forces--such as fashion culture, media presentations, our peers, our mothers-- decreased or increased over time?

(source)