Throughout her work, Flack utilizes overarching themes of life and death through the use of living, dying, and dead objects such as flowers, insects, and fruit. In Roman Beauties, ripe fruit is piled atop a table next to a vase, a candle, and a small photograph. The photograph, adding a layer of complexity to the work, contains a similar image of fruit; however, this fruit is far less vibrant than the fruit in the original image, and appears to be nearly rotten in color and texture. This detail, though small, creates a strong contrast between the liveliness of the ripe fruit and the inevitability of what that fruit may become if left unconsumed.

The following text was researched and written by: Lily Hopkins, MSIS 4+1 Program: Archives and Records Administration '21, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Intern

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