The Bell Jars
The Bell Jars paintings have an acrylic gray background with oil paint depicting the subject matter and are created in a minimalistic style. They are based on several books, but all connected to Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. In that book, bell jars symbolize being trapped and confined. So, the third (and middle) painting depicts a single bell jar to represent that book. However, this series includes other books written by women that contain characters that are trapped and confined by various things in their lives.
The first painting is connected to The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. In that book their clothing is a symbol of entrapment. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is depicted literally in the second painting. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins is represented by a white rose. This flower is associated with President Snow, which he uses to intimidate Katniss. However, its original supposed purpose as a way to cover up the smell of blood from the effects of Snow’s use of poison also alludes to the overarching cycle of violence and suffering present in that society. Finally, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is also depicted somewhat literally, as the main character in the book lives in a house that symbolizes the life of poverty she dreams of escaping. Together, these “bell jars” illustrate some of the challenges people, or women in particular, face.