Siren
Oil
This painting draws on classical art themes, not in the traditional sense, but instead in paradox.
Sirens (akin to mermaids) were often represented as seductive sea monsters whose beauty and song would lure men to their deaths. While these stories had many meanings and purposes, a leading aspect was to demonize women and women's sexuality- instilling fear and issuing a warning against women's sinful dangerous temptation.
What is men's role in this? Innocent victim? Did they not stand a chance and could not control themselves? What happened to free-will? Men (and people) who adhere to this mindset are acting out a self-fulfilling prophecy of their/patriarchal society's own making. What you believe, is what you attract. Perhaps this story is not a lesson in women's "original sin", but a fable that should encourage men to exercise willpower, critical thinking, and dismantle archaic narratives. The moral should be to work on oneself and not place the onus onto others.
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Carley Coombes