The Wise Virgin

Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions: 20 x 15 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1969
Date finished: 2003
Edition: of 23

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
“The Wise Virgin by Jenny Schmid references the parable Jesus told about five foolish virgins and five wise virgins meeting their bridegroom for the first time without warning in the Christian bible. The parable is meant as a metaphor for being ready for death at all times. Once this story came out of the mouths of men at the pulpit, it was twisted to be a warning about women who are unchaste. In this lithograph, the central character is a girl who is afraid – hunched over and ducking away from the devil and his poisonous alcohol. She’s also clutching her bibles as she avoids the temptation of the man at her heel, not looking out for the female creature she steps on, unknowingly. This piece is different from Schmid’s other works she made around this time with alternate worlds where girls are adventurers who break from society’s prescribed roles for them. Instead, she’s using her expert lithographic skills to illustrate the harsh dichotomy girls have pushed on them – be a good girl or be a bad girl.”