Betty Tompkins

Betty Tompkin is a photorealism painter who condemns the view of women being considered as mere sexual objects that are used for consumption. Through her series of nine ‘Fuck Paintings,’ which imitate sexual encounters, including exposed genitalia, and penetration that were all derived from pornography, she shined light onto the heightening issues of the perception and treatment towards women. Furthermore, she created another series called ‘Women Words’, which depicted imitations of masters such as Caravaggio, with derogatory phrases written in large letters onto each figure. One could interpret this layering of words as how belittling phrases are now embedded within the women from the constant reminder from society. Overall, her works illustrate the violence that women face whilst simultaneously critisicing the appropriating imagery created for male self-pleasure.