2022 | Mixed Media on Canvas | Original Painting
Beauty can be a powerful distraction from the things happening right before our eyes.
In Under his Eye, Alissa Van Atta explores the unsettling relationship between feminine ideals, societal expectations, and the persistent struggle for women's autonomy. Drawing on imagery associated with The Handmaid's Tale and vintage representations of femininity, the painting juxtaposes two seemingly different women whose lives are shaped by the expectations and power structures surrounding them.
At the lower left of the composition, a woman wearing the unmistakable red cloak and white bonnet of a Handmaid stands beside a second figure dressed in a flowing pink gown. The juxtaposition is deliberately provocative. One figure evokes a dystopian world in which women are stripped of their independence, while the other recalls the carefully constructed ideals of beauty, elegance, and conventional femininity.
Surrounding these small figures is an expansive field of expressive abstraction. Loose passages of coral, pale yellow, muted green, and smoky blue emerge from a richly worked gray background. The floral-like gestures introduce an unexpected softness, creating a visual contrast between decorative beauty and the darker implications of the imagery below.
The painting's title references the chilling expression "Under His Eye" from The Handmaid's Tale, a reminder of a society in which women exist under constant scrutiny and control. In this context, the two figures suggest different manifestations of the same underlying struggle: the pressure to conform to identities and expectations determined by forces beyond one's control.
The contrast between the intimate scale of the women and the expansive surrounding composition creates an atmosphere of vulnerability and uncertainty. Their small presence within the larger painted environment suggests how easily individual voices can be diminished or overshadowed.
Created in May 2022, Under his Eye emerged during a period of intense national debate surrounding reproductive rights and women's bodily autonomy. Its themes of surveillance, control, and the fragile nature of personal freedom reflect concerns that extend far beyond the fictional world referenced in its title.
Part of Van Atta's She's so Vintage collection, the painting uses familiar cultural imagery and expressive abstraction to challenge the comforting assumption that historical progress necessarily guarantees future freedom.
Both visually seductive and quietly unsettling, Under his Eye asks viewers to consider the difference between being seen and being controlled—and what happens when the right to define one's own life is placed in someone else's hands.
Artist: Alissa Van Atta
Title: Under his Eye
Year: 2022
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimensions: 36 H × 36 W × 1.5 D inches
Collection: She's so Vintage
Original: One-of-a-kind painting
Signed: Yes
Inventory Number: avap202236362
Price: $2,495
Status: Available
Original artwork by Alissa Van Atta. Fine-art shipping arrangements available, with protective packaging appropriate for an original canvas painting.
2022 | Mixed Media on Canvas | Original Painting
Beauty can be a powerful distraction from the things happening right before our eyes.
In Under his Eye, Alissa Van Atta explores the unsettling relationship between feminine ideals, societal expectations, and the persistent struggle for women's autonomy. Drawing on imagery associated with The Handmaid's Tale and vintage representations of femininity, the painting juxtaposes two seemingly different women whose lives are shaped by the expectations and power structures surrounding them.
At the lower left of the composition, a woman wearing the unmistakable red cloak and white bonnet of a Handmaid stands beside a second figure dressed in a flowing pink gown. The juxtaposition is deliberately provocative. One figure evokes a dystopian world in which women are stripped of their independence, while the other recalls the carefully constructed ideals of beauty, elegance, and conventional femininity.
Surrounding these small figures is an expansive field of expressive abstraction. Loose passages of coral, pale yellow, muted green, and smoky blue emerge from a richly worked gray background. The floral-like gestures introduce an unexpected softness, creating a visual contrast between decorative beauty and the darker implications of the imagery below.
The painting's title references the chilling expression "Under His Eye" from The Handmaid's Tale, a reminder of a society in which women exist under constant scrutiny and control. In this context, the two figures suggest different manifestations of the same underlying struggle: the pressure to conform to identities and expectations determined by forces beyond one's control.
The contrast between the intimate scale of the women and the expansive surrounding composition creates an atmosphere of vulnerability and uncertainty. Their small presence within the larger painted environment suggests how easily individual voices can be diminished or overshadowed.
Created in May 2022, Under his Eye emerged during a period of intense national debate surrounding reproductive rights and women's bodily autonomy. Its themes of surveillance, control, and the fragile nature of personal freedom reflect concerns that extend far beyond the fictional world referenced in its title.
Part of Van Atta's She's so Vintage collection, the painting uses familiar cultural imagery and expressive abstraction to challenge the comforting assumption that historical progress necessarily guarantees future freedom.
Both visually seductive and quietly unsettling, Under his Eye asks viewers to consider the difference between being seen and being controlled—and what happens when the right to define one's own life is placed in someone else's hands.
Artist: Alissa Van Atta
Title: Under his Eye
Year: 2022
Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas
Dimensions: 36 H × 36 W × 1.5 D inches
Collection: She's so Vintage
Original: One-of-a-kind painting
Signed: Yes
Inventory Number: avap202236362
Price: $2,495
Status: Available
Original artwork by Alissa Van Atta. Fine-art shipping arrangements available, with protective packaging appropriate for an original canvas painting.
