DANA NECHMAD

This series of oil paintings is dedicated to the character of Ophelia. Ophelia, one of the most celebrated female characters in art history is often portrayed as a passive beauty. However, I read her as a tormented soul in a manic state. Like many women who are still enduring domestic violence behind closed doors, I wish to bring forward her suffering not as a gentle fall to a bed of flowers, but through stormy water. Utilizing dramatic composition, I elevate the figure to the center of the stage. She is battling an abstracted storm of dark blues and swirling dripping greens; she is fighting.