The Virtuous Woman 2017

Harmonia Rosales made this work, 'The Virtuous Woman', by remixing Renaissance ideas with a contemporary vision, using oil paint to conjure both the past and present. I can imagine her wrestling with this iconic image, Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, thinking about representation, beauty standards, and who gets centered in art history. It’s as if she’s asking, 'How can we reimagine these classical forms to reflect a more inclusive world?' See how the figure emerges from the aged paper? The circle and square, the human form, everything feels both precise and organic. It's Rosales’ way of having a conversation with art history, challenging and expanding our understanding of beauty and form. Artists are always building on what came before, questioning, and pushing boundaries.