A woman stands nude with her back to the viewer. Her arms
are raised, hands interlaced behind her neck. Her back is deformed and scarred,
but her body, depicted in warm flesh tones, looks solid and capable. She stands
uncomfortably but patiently, as if she is waiting for a medical exam in a
doctor’s office, or as if she is inviting the audience to look and learn.
A skeleton is superimposed anatomically over the lower half
of the woman’s body, including her lower spine, pelvis, and femurs. A round
form surrounds the lower spine which looks abnormal. In the blue background is
a skeleton of a horse. The horse is angled away from the audience, such that we
see its rear and tail most prominently. But its head is turned to look
backwards, so that its empty eye sockets appear to be peering at the woman and
at the audience.
A woman drawn in charcoal crouches tensely on all fours,
arms wide as if proudly claiming territory, but with one hand raised in hesitation.
Her legs are strong, and her breasts are exposed animalistically. But the
viewer’s eyes are drawn to her face, which looks sad and weary.
A green dragon is super-imposed onto the body of the woman.
It glares at the audience, snarling toothily with a red open mouth. Its head is
raised proudly, and its wings are spread defiantly. It is ready to attack. But
the dragon looks partly mechanical, and it fits onto the woman like a costume,
with her head, chest, arms, and legs exposed. It is armor that simultaneously
protects yet burdens her.
