early critics and, paradoxically, has been ignored by recent feminist scholars.” Flack’s paintings are often categorized as either feminine or feminist, according to Woman’s Art Journal. In the 1970s women found it difficult to merge those two identities and Flack was well aware of the dueling demands in a woman’s life. Flack believed that a woman could be both feminine and a feminist. A woman didn’t have to choose and could create her own lifestyle. Her Vanitas series depict contrasting symbolism, which play into the dueling ideas of women. The Woman’s Art Journal notes that “In the 1970s, cosmetics, was perhaps the determining factor that
