Male Bomb II

This drawing belongs to The War Series: Bombs and Helicopters (1966-71), prompted by Spero's anger at the involvement of the United States in Vietnam. In her metaphoric depiction of war, she transformed the male body into a lethal weapon, linking sexuality and military power. Spero said: "I wanted to [be] as shocking as possible, and the way that I could be most shocking, because it so upset people, was through sexuality...I used bloody colors, and literally a lot of spit with gouache paint...Even though they seem so delicate, they are violent." The multiheaded figure was inspired by medieval apocalyptic imagery.