Screaming Madonna 2007

Curator: Let's take a closer look at Rose Freymuth-Frazier’s oil painting from 2007, titled "Screaming Madonna." Editor: It's visceral. Raw emotion. The open mouth dominates; that cry feels timeless, primordial, but also contemporary. Curator: Freymuth-Frazier's background involves exploration of mythic imagery. I wonder if she uses this kind of symbolic weight here to push a confrontation of sorts? The painting departs from traditional depictions of the Madonna. Instead of serene maternalism, we find…what? Anguish? Fury? Editor: The darkness rising up the canvas adds to this powerful expression. It is engulfing her from the bottom up, which can represent shadows from the past that are creeping into the present and about to consume the future as well. Also notice the interesting composition around the subject’s head, a few swirls suggesting hair strands. Curator: It makes me think about contemporary societal pressures on women, maybe reflecting expectations placed upon them, as well as an inner tension that builds inside with no voice. Considering this portrait’s emergence in the early 21st century, is Freymuth-Frazier potentially offering us a commentary on how the Madonna archetype has shifted, and at what price? What I am more curious about, as it might reflect our current society, is her choice to paint this scream without including any additional visual narratives. Editor: The scream is universally recognized as the release of raw emotion, pain, perhaps a cry for liberation or, as you pointed out earlier, rage, inner tension. Here the choice to include the scream alone speaks volumes, as though it might act as the seed, or primordial signal, that calls us to examine it. Curator: It's compelling to consider how a seemingly traditional theme—the Madonna—can be reimagined to reflect current socio-political realities. Editor: A strong example of the ability images have to connect and transcend time. Curator: Precisely, leaving us to consider the stories images tell, generation after generation.