In Defiance

Cleopatra; much of her history has been incredibly romanticized; which I’m not sad about.  The idea of taking your own life by snakebite is dramatic and I am here for it.  Cleopatra was a strong, clever woman who defied the norm and chose her own path to rule.  

I am by no means a history buff, but understand the general outline of her life.  After hearing that her lover Mark Anthony fell on his sword committing suicide, she knew that her only path forward was surrender to the Roman ruler Octavian (and that was NOT an option!)  She did not take her life because she was heartbroken from a dead lover.  No; she refused to be humiliated, knowing she would be paraded as a prisoner through the streets of Rome in defeat.

‘I will not be marched in Triumph.”

And so I decided to name this second painting “In Defiance” - To choose to die by your own hand rather than surrender; to choose your own fate.  I don’t know that I would have the strength; would you?