Beauty Is the New Punk Rock

Little Lady Liberty Looking Lost is a portrait of Lise Haller Baggesen’s daughter, who, for the occasion of Halloween is dressed up as the Statue of Liberty. The girl is averting her head, and it is her striking apparel and shiny locks of hair that catch the eye. Supple strokes of chalk make a sketchy impression of the child figure. The vividly colored lines of the hair further emphasize the distance to reality: the whole figure could be conceived as ornament. Here, Haller Baggesen plays an airy game with the traditions of her métier, with virtuosity—because she is skillful and she likes her handiwork—and mockingly, by making her daughter, crowned as the Statue of Liberty, the center of adoration. The mockery is underlined by the title of the work, which, together with its sister image Little Lady Liberty Licking Lollipop, can be perceived as a mild satiric comment on the ideals of “Liberty for All” of Haller Baggesen’s new “homeland.” Read the rest of this entry »