La femme au serpent 

Evelyne Axell made "La femme au serpent," or "Woman with Snake," using paint on perspex during the late 1960s or early 70s, a period when barriers were being broken in the art world. The image shows a woman, rendered in a graphic, Pop Art style, with a snake in her mouth. Her skin is paper white, and she wears large, round sunglasses. The bright blue background and flat perspective give the image a sense of artificiality and the imagery is reminiscent of the countercultural aesthetic. Axell was a Belgian artist interested in exploring themes of female sexuality and liberation. Her work often challenged traditional representations of women in art, celebrating female desire and agency. In a male-dominated art world, Axell pushed boundaries, using her art as a form of social commentary. To understand Axell’s artistic choices, we might consult feminist theory of the period, and look at other examples of Pop Art that address similar themes. Through such research, we can appreciate art as a reflection of its time, shaped by the social and cultural forces at play.