Advance II 

Mary Jane Ansell’s painting ‘Advance II’ presents us with a young woman in a military-style cap, rendered with precise realism. The image is striking for its combination of period detail and contemporary sensibility, which invites us to reflect on the cultural codes that shape our understanding of gender, power, and authority. Made in Britain, the painting plays with the politics of imagery. On the one hand, the military cap evokes a sense of command and control, traditionally associated with men. On the other hand, the young woman's delicate features and long braid suggest vulnerability and femininity. Ansell challenges traditional gender roles by presenting us with a figure who seems to embody both masculine and feminine qualities. Ansell seems to be critiquing the institutional history of art, and the traditional association of women with passivity and domesticity. By positioning her subject in a traditionally masculine role, she invites us to question the social structures that continue to shape our perceptions of gender. By researching Ansell’s wider body of work, we can better understand her critical project of social commentary.