Louise Michel. Leading figure of the Paris Commune, 1871. At that time in France, the Napoleonic Code was still in force, keeping women subordinate to fathers and husbands, with no rights to vote or divorce. Teacher, poet, libertarian and indomitable, Louise Michel embodied the spirit of a women's revolt that won the right to education, divorce, and work, but also the possibility of being protagonists, claiming their rights, and fighting side by side with men. “Louise” is part of the cycle “Le temps de cerises” (The Time of Cherries) dedicated to the Paris Commune of 1871. Mixed media: photographs, letter, map, bandages, and beeswax on wooden board. The dimensions are 50.5 x 40.5 x 3 cm. It is an encaustic collage, with period images superimposed and embedded in beeswax.
