Bear Trap 

Lucia Heffernan made this painting titled "Bear Trap", although undated, it is contemporary, and likely oil on canvas. It encapsulates an intriguing set of ideas about the human condition. The image creates meaning through its unique visual codes. The artist has replaced a person with a bear, who is reading ‘10 tips on making him like you.’ The book has a rainbow flag on it. The bear and the book title can be seen as challenging existing gender and social norms. But this challenge might only be visible to those who can decode the cultural references. The role of the historian is to unpack the meaning of this artwork. We might consider what the artist’s intentions were when creating the artwork, and what meaning the audience takes from it. The meaning of art is contingent on the social context.