Heavy is the Crown

LOT 4

ALIEASE SIMMONS Heavy is the Crown Digital painting [dimensions in inches] Executed in 2025

PROVENANCE:

• Artist's studio

• Direct from the artist

CONDITION: Excellent. Museum-quality presentation with period-appropriate frame.

This commanding work represents Simmons' breakthrough in contemporary feminist portraiture a meditation on female power, burden, and sovereignty that speaks directly to 21st-century concerns about women in leadership.

The crowned figure sits enthroned in flowing blue robes, the color of the Virgin Mary, of royalty, of divine feminine wisdom, against a stark red and black background. Simmons' compositional choices are deliberate: the bare feet ground the figure in physical reality even as the golden crown elevates her to symbolic status. The crescent moon carries multiple meanings, feminine cycles, Islamic symbolism, the waxing and waning of power.

Simmons' artistic vision is evident in the figure's expression. This is not triumphant coronation imagery but an honest portrayal of leadership's weight. The direct gaze carries weariness, determination, quiet strength. The title, Simmons' own speaks the truth: heavy is the crown.

The work draws on art historical traditions of enthroned Madonnas, Byzantine empress mosaics, and Pre-Raphaelite queenly figures, demonstrating Simmons' deep engagement with historical precedent. Yet the contemporary relevance is unmistakable, this work arrives at a moment when conversations about female leadership dominate global discourse.

The brushwork evokes Post-Impressionist technique, creating rich surface texture and emotional intensity. Simmons' process involved extensive refinement to achieve the balance between visual majesty and psychological vulnerability rejecting countless iterations that failed to capture this specific emotional complexity.

Unlike traditional royal portraiture designed to project invincibility, Simmons humanizes queenship while maintaining visual power. The bare feet, the isolation, the weight in her eyes, these choices transform what could be decorative imagery into genuine contemporary statement.

About the Medium: Created using AI generative tools under Simmons' artistic direction. Inquire for availability and acquisition details. Please see "How to Buy"

• Unframed: 48" × 72" (4' × 6')

• Framed: 56" × 80"