The Death Penalty Ladies Society
In a society where prisons are run by private corporations, petty thieves go to jail while the bankers who have ripped off millions walk free. The divide between the poor and the wealthy has grown tremendously over the last few decades and commissioned portraiture is typically a feature of the latter. I found a small group of people without the means to unveil a painting of themselves over the drawing-room mantel –women executed under the death penalty.
The death penalty was reinstated in this country in 1976. Since then, twelve women who have been executed in the United States. Their stories are interesting. They were not women of means. They were accused of killing husbands, mothers, strangers, and children. Some have confessed while others have maintained their innocence. Their circumstances are different but they had one thing in common: they had clearly run out of options. Drawing inspiration from John Singer Sargent's portraiture, I've recast these women as socialites, portraying them in a new, genteel light. By elevating their status in our society I hope to confront the idea of what privilege really means in our society. The crimes were heinous, the victims were real and while not condoning any individual acts of violence I question our double standards.
