Karen Kilmnik’s paintings and drawings tell stories about female psychology and identity. The character Elaine Robinson, played by actress Katharine Ross in the 1967 film The Graduate, is ostensibly the subject of Katherine Ross, The Legacy. Kilimnik conjures the awkward scene in which the mother of Elaine, played by Anne Bancroft, offers herself to Ben Braddock, her daughter’s fiancé played by Dustin Hoffman, in front of Elaine’s portrait. Departing from the studio portrait of Elaine in the film, Kilimnik’s portrait expresses her shock and outrage in witness of the scene before her. Since the film is shot predominantly from the perspective of the male protagonist, Kilimnik shifts the focus to that of the female protagonist.