Marilyn Monroe icon, oil and encaustic

This is the third posting from my Modern Icon Series that I made 10 years ago using encaustic over oil and carving through the encaustic to reveal the under colors.

Marilyn Monroe is still worshiped as a goddess of beauty, sexuality and vulnerability. The center panel contains a black and white pencil rending of Marilyn's face and hands, making her appear even more remote and other-worldy. Although she is portrayed in a typical Madonna pose, there is no baby. As with all of these icons, I researched the life stories of the star of each icon; what they symbolized and their personal stories. It was reported that even though Marilyn Monroe claimed she desperately wanted a child, both time she became pregnant, she refused to stop drinking and taking drugs, which probably produced her miscarriages. 

The left panel hold Joe DiMaggio as an angel. Di Maggio was her second husband and did mot want Marilyn to continue playing her sex symbol roles in the movies. He would have her be just Mrs. DiMaggio. though they had little in common,  after their divorce he continued to love her. It has been reported that his last words were, "Now, I will see Marilyn again." I have shown him in a welcoming pose; remaining loving and receptive.

Arther Miller, Marilyn's third husband, is portrayed as an angel who is hold up his hand as if to say, "That's enough Marilyn!" Their tumultuous marriage was irreparably damaged by Marilyn's increasing erratic behavior and heavy use of drugs.

The back is painted just in encaustic. Because of Marilyn's desperate need to be a star, there is a large sun-like star surrounded by many smaller stars.