“Resist”

Venus de Milo is an ancient marble statue, widely believed to represent Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. While its exact dating remains uncertain, modern scholars generally place it in the 2nd century BC. The statue’s name comes from the Greek island of Melos (now called Milos), where it was discovered in 1820. Though Venus de Milo’s missing arms remain a mystery, they may have been lost to time, war, or simple mishandling by those tasked with preserving her.

I was fortunate enough to see this iconic sculpture in person during my 2018 trip to Paris. Much of my artwork draws inspiration from ancient Greece, but I love putting a modern spin on it. This particular piece, a 16x20” graphite and Prismacolor pencil drawing, reinterprets Venus de Milo to symbolize the power of femininity, the ongoing fight against patriarchy, and the beauty of a modern woman.

The animation process for this piece wasn’t actually a video—it was a stop-motion project I completed for my Image class at CU. Using a Nikon D5600 on a tripod connected to my phone via Bluetooth, I captured over 1,000 individual frames, which I then compiled into a 40-second animation. It was truly a test of patience! I also incorporated subtle details, like a burning candle and collected pencil shavings, to subtly mark the passage of time.