Ellen Lesperance

Somewhere Along the Black Sea in the Distant North-East, or in Libya in the Furthest South, The Amazons – The Woman and the Girls Children – Exist Just Outside of the Range of Normal Human Experience

Ellen Lesperance’s artwork, Somewhere Along the Black Sea in the Distant North-East, or in Libya in the Furthest South, The Amazons – The Woman and the Girls Children – Exist Just Outside of the Range of Normal Human Experience, is a painting and separate textile work in the form of a sweater that blends mythology, feminism, and historical narrative. In the gouache painting, Lesperance pairs the sweater pattern with a quote from the classicist Peter Walcot, who described the Greek’s attitudes towards the Amazons. His words confirm a certain lack of understanding of female power: “Wherever the Amazons are located by the Greeks, whether it is somewhere along the Black Sea in the distant north-east, or in Libya in the furthest south, it is always beyond the confines of the civilized world. The Amazons exist outside the range of normal human experience.” The dual artwork offers an alternative portrayal of the legendary Amazons, a matriarchal society of warrior women. Lesperance employs a meticulous and textured technique to create a rich, detailed composition that captures the strength and mystique of these mythical figures. Challenging conventional narratives, Lesperance’s work celebrates the Amazons as symbols of resilience and autonomy while questioning their place in historical consciousness. This work invites viewers to contemplate the boundaries of historical and contemporary gender roles, and the ways in which female empowerment has been mythologized and marginalized.