This painting is in response to two pieces of art at the Brooklyn Museum: the centripetal spring chair (ca. 1849-1858)
made by Thomas E. Warren, and a black cotton wrap dress that Georgia O’keeffe wore (ca. 1960-70s). My painting
centers around the idea of what it means to be regal, and shows two different types of power clashing together. The
chair, golden and intricately patterned, was a symbol of wealth; I envisioned a regal and wealthy woman sitting in it.
Although simple in design, I felt that O’keeffe’s dress radiated a feeling of power and dignity to match her personality. I
based the woman off of Marina and the Diamonds, a singer who, through her use of satire in her album Electra Heart
(2012), expressed how women are portrayed in popular culture as materialistic and selfish. She used her album as a way
to reclaim, rather than define, female dignity.