Tateana Khokhar is a talented young artist who has already gained admirers for her beautiful work. The Huntington High School senior recently prepared a colorful eye-catching piece after studying an original oil painting she found in the Heckscher Museum’s collection.
“I was drawn to J. C. Leyendecker’s Egyptian Queen because of the style in which it was painted and the anachronistic content,” Ms. Khokhar said. “I was intrigued with the mismatched garments. Cleopatra is covered by a 1920’s slip dress contrasted with an Egyptian head piece. Leyendecker was obviously influenced by the fascination with Egyptology after the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. I ran with this concept and decided to mix clothing from the Victorian era with fashions derived from the punk moment of the 1980’s.”
The teenager’s graphic art is hip, edgy and thought-provoking. Mr. Khokhar has been working closely with Huntington High School graphic arts teacher Kasmira Mohanty.
Mr. Leyendecker’s August 1923 painting appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in October of that same year. He won many fans for the delightful piece.
Ms. Khokhar devoted many hours to thinking about just what she wanted to create and then spent just the right amount of time perfecting her idea. She’s well-known around the high school and community for her artistic talents.
“I wanted to acknowledge the clash of wealthy high society and the anti-establishment vibe of Punk,” said the senior about her recent piece. “I appreciate the push and pull of the two vastly different points of view. Through my artwork, I hope to create a dialogue about what it means to be part of society and what the definition of society becomes after examining how it has changed through the years.”
