RICHARD BARGDILL, PhD
Richard Bargdill received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Existential Psychology program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Bargdill is the author, co-editor and editor of three books: “An Artist’s Thought Book: intriguing thoughts about the artistic process”; “Humanistic Contributions to Psychology 101-Growth, Choice and Responsibility”; “Living the Good Life: A Psychological History”. He has over two dozen published poems and his artwork dons the cover of five books including: Silent Screams and Andy Goirgi’s Reflections. He researches the assassination of enviromentalists, aesthetic chills and the I Ching.
Naked Athena in Portland, Oregon
(Acrylic on Canvas, 2’ 5” High x 4’ Wide)
For over 50 days after the George Floyd murder by police in Minnesota, there were continuous peaceful protests against police brutality held in Portland, Oregon . This period lasted from late May of 2020 to the events throughout July. Prior to the protest that this image represents, there were incidents of protestors being abducted in unmarked police style van just days before. Rarely had events such as these been so publicly recorded. These events lead to heightened tensions between protestors and police.
Here a naked woman seemingly single-handedly holds off police in riot gear who are intent on breaking up any gathering on the streets. The police fired pepper balls at her and she responded with several yoga poses. The only covering she possessed was a face mask as this was also the time of the Covid pandemic. The days after this protests the woman was referred to as "naked Athena.”