“LYSOL LADY”, egg tempera & gold leaf, 16”x16” 2022
Icons of Resistance: The Contemporary Allegories of Roberta Levitow
“What distinguishes Levitow’s contribution to contemporary painting is not only her revival of ancient techniques, but her ability to repurpose them into vehicles for cultural critique and personal testimony.
Her secular icons resist passive contemplation; they demand that viewers confront the moral and emotional complexities of their time. In her richly detailed, symbol-laden panels, Levitow continues to create spaces where beauty, resistance, humor, and history converge—holding space for the sacred in the everyday.”
Circle Foundation for the Arts, Lyon, France, April 2025
PAINTINGS
I am inspired by the style and technique of traditional religious icons. I use tempera paint on wooden panels to merge historic symbolic elements with contemporary secular vocabulary. In doing so, I blend ancient narratives with popular culture and surreal landscapes. My paintings bear witness to the social challenges of 21st century life.