Umbrella 

Alex Gross painted 'Umbrella' sometime after 1968 with oils on canvas. It presents an Asian woman sheltering under an umbrella while surrounded by floating green male heads. Gross’s paintings often reflect our immersion in consumerist culture and the effects of globalization. Consider the painting's elements: the Louis Vuitton bag, the umbrella protecting her from a non-existent rain, and the many green heads hovering around her. What do these imply? The rise of global brands and the creation of international markets has led to the adoption of western cultural norms, especially in Asian societies. Simultaneously, the green heads could represent the ever-present gaze of western patriarchy, a concept famously theorized by Laura Mulvey. Gross seems to be commenting on the individual within our modern, globalized world. To fully appreciate this work, one could research the history of globalization, westernization, and the rise of consumer culture, as well as the cultural and political theory. By exploring such contexts, we deepen our understanding of the artwork as a product of its time.