Absolution 

Sarah Joncas created this oil painting, "Absolution," in the twenty-first century. The image of a young woman gazing heavenward recalls traditional Western religious art, particularly images of the Virgin Mary. Here, a hooded figure replaces Mary's traditional veil, and the background suggests not heaven but a peach-colored dreamscape. The painting presents a new type of female icon: the hooded sweatshirt situates the girl as an ordinary person, while the orange flowers blooming from her chest suggest a sense of both growth and pain. Joncas borrows from the visual vocabulary of Catholicism but reframes it for a contemporary audience. Is it conservative or progressive? Does it critique the institutions of religion? As an art historian, I look to the social and cultural context in which this was made. Research into Joncas's other works, and also the broader cultural trends in contemporary society, help us to understand the role of art in challenging existing social norms.