In 2014, Carol L. Douglas was part of a duo show at a university gallery in Rochester, NY. The show was vast: a body of sixty large pieces including abstracts and nudes.
Douglas’ work dealt with the marginalization of women, exploring issues like religious submission, bondage, slavery, prostitution, obesity, and exploitation. It was featured in the university news and a city newspaper. Then, college administrators saw the show and closed it down. The paintings have not been shown as a body of work since. “We live in strange times,” said Douglas. “We not only tolerate but glorify the cardinal sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. On the other hand, we are leery of serious conversations, we don’t like serious effort, and we vilify those with whom we disagree.
“The cynic in me thinks that if I painted coy Odalisques there would have been no objection. Young people are exposed to sexually-charged but stupid images every day; in fact, this is part of the problem facing women today.”
