In works like Adolescence (Red Carnation), Débora Arango subverted the male gaze by mastering the nude and female self-representation, portraying a woman’s sensuality. This controversial act, a source of social and moral scandal, escalated when the artist exhibited the painting to the conservative Antioquian society of the 1940s, not only because it depicted a nude woman, but also because its creator was a woman. In this painting, Arango introduced themes related to the female condition into local art for the first time, and this, as expected, proved scandalous to certain social sectors.
The ladies of the League of Decency of Medellín filed a complaint with the archbishop, who summoned the painter to appear before him, asking her to explain who served as models for her works. Arango sarcastically replied that she was inspired by the daughters of the ladies of the League of Decency, with whom she shared the swimming pool at the Country Club. The priest threatened her with excommunication if her work was not withdrawn from the second painting competition of the Society of Friends of Art. This and other paintings were subject to exclusion and censorship for the artist, both because of the themes and characters depicted, and because of the apparent threat that a woman like Débora represented in the local art scene, dominated primarily by men.
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