Sister Rosetta Tharpe

From Wikipedia: Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist. She attained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic accompaniment that was a precursor of rock and roll. She was the first great recording star of gospel music and among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll audiences, later being referred to as “the original soul sister” and “the Godmother of rock and roll”.She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians, including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Through this illustration I’m attempting to deify Sister Rosetta and place her is a position of symbolic worship. In a direct way, I’m commenting on the originating influence a strong woman has had on Rock and Roll, an art form that is consistently identified with an ethos of male chauvinism and sexism. The rear characters are inspired by Picasso’s famous painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. Legend tells it that the demoiselles in Picasso’s work were hired prostitutes. In this illustration, I’ve redirected Picasso’s gaze, from one centered on objectified women, to a viewpoint focused onto a cast of aroused men. Through this gesture, I’m commenting on the influence of the male gaze in our consideration of prominent women. Furthermore I’m asking the viewer to consider how a male-centric viewpoint has greatly influenced our general perception of intrinsic artistic value.