Animai Instinct 

David Michael Bowers created this painting "Animal Instinct" to explore ideas about femininity. The combination of classical painting styles with contemporary themes challenges conventional roles assigned to women. Here, Bowers uses the imagery of the tropical jungle to create a place of mystery, one that is removed from the strictures of urban and social life. The gaze of the women, combined with the foliage, obscures and yet demands attention. This ambiguity and the theatrical composition, ask us to question whether the women in the painting are aware of being watched or not. Are they in control of their sexuality and identity, or are they simply objects of desire? Art historians use a range of resources, from social media to historical texts, to discover how the conditions in which art is made shape its meaning. Only through this kind of contextual work can we begin to understand the complex role that art plays in society.