julia rappazzo Using secondhand dolls as my artist “prop”, my work explores the idea of art objectifying the body. by using dolls in place of the figure in iconic master paintings, I begin by collecting school age dolls of similar scale, and age, wearing costumes of all kinds, and most importantly, not of my own childhood. These dolls are then re-appropriated to mimic a specific art historic painting and its composition. My work questions the figures in a painting, who are the figures? Did the artist know the model? Were they a friend, a lover? Or were they just a model for hire- a prop, staged at the artist’s command. In my translation of imagery I repurpose the object and personify them to life. www.juliarappazzo.com
American Dream oil on canvas 25”x30” Anatomy Lesson (right) oil on canvas 34”x42”
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