surreal fantasy desert landscape with two central figures of a horse and colt fending off attack from a pack of wild dogs; the horses are actually women wearing a blanket and horse head, nude from waist down except for red high heeled shoes; landscape is brown patchy hills with blue mountains in background, green blue sky; dogs hide in vegetation in foreground; one dog kicked into the air at TR

The Filly, 1981

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Eleanor Spiess-Ferris grew up on a small farm in northern New Mexico. She has described this scene as one that emerged from dreams and memories mingling. "I knew what dangers existed – coyotes, wild dogs, and snakes hidden in the underbrush and, on nature’s side, flash floods, wildfires, and drought," she wrote. The artist considers the fantastic imagery of this work to be a feminist painting about survival. She noted, "It is a painting about protection. It is a painting about courage. It was my way of telling myself that I had to fight for my artistic vision by defeating my own fears. In fighting off doubts and negativity I felt I could and would create a world where my daughter could prosper and I would thrive creatively." Three women, disguised as horses, cross through an inhospitable landscape and are attacked by dogs. They ward them off the best they can.

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Details
Title
The Filly
Artist Life
born 1941
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2023.81.2
Curator Approved

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surreal fantasy desert landscape with two central figures of a horse and colt fending off attack from a pack of wild dogs; the horses are actually women wearing a blanket and horse head, nude from waist down except for red high heeled shoes; landscape is brown patchy hills with blue mountains in background, green blue sky; dogs hide in vegetation in foreground; one dog kicked into the air at TR
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