These images are layered collages, composed of elements drawn from Western European art history, removed from their original context and reassembled. They are created using mixed media on paper, with gouache and acrylic paint finishes. The original works by artists Courbet, Ingres, and Poussin all depicted the female form.

My interest in these particular images dates back to my Art History classes, where I first encountered the beauty and rawness of Courbet’s The Artist’s Studio. In this work, Courbet portrays himself painting a landscape while seemingly oblivious to the nearly nude female model beside him. This painting is often considered one of Courbet’s most misogynistic pieces.

In contrast, Poussin’s Et in Arcadia Ego explores the inevitability of death. It depicts four shepherds discovering a stone monument and contemplating its enigmatic inscription, which serves as a memento mori, a reminder of mortality. The phrase ‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ and the concept of ‘memento mori’ both underscore the fragile balance between life and death, a theme that is ever-present in our existence.

Sometimes, I imagine these shepherds pointing not at a monument but at an AED machine. In this reimagining, I include a CPR dummy receiving chest compressions. There is deep gratitude for anyone who administers CPR, yet there is also an understanding that this act, while life-saving, is both brutal and beautiful for the rescuer and the patient who endures it.