Acrylic and oil on canvas, box framed in raw oak.
Artist Statement:
A woman's hair is her glory, and long golden hair in particular has long been associated with female beauty, going all the way back to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Even in the middle ages, long, blond hair was idealised as the paragon of female beauty in European culture.
Many fictional princesses have long golden hair, which harks back to the earliest recorded European fairy tales. 'Golden Hair', a Russian fairy tale and 'Rapunzel, a German fairy tale, both feature a girl with long blond hair. In both tales the girls are punished for falling in love by having their hair cut off. Such was the shame of having one's hair cut off.
It is typical in traditional fairy tales for the female lead to be separated from other women. She is isolated and awaiting rescue by a man. So in my feminist recreation I show Rapunzel amongst her sisters, as they work together to weave their own golden escape route in the form of ropes made of hair.