Kim on Arabella

This painting always elicits a strong reaction from viewers, which I mostly attribute to the strength of the pure cadmium red in the background. Otherwise, this piece is all about minimalism, reducing the subject’s features to the bare minimum that still manage to look like her.  Shapes echo across the face, as the eye brow is mirrored by the bottom lip and earring, and the curve at the end of her mouth matches the curve at the tip of her downward-cast eye. There is repetition in the vertical lines of her spaghetti straps and the borders of the red wall and yellow door in the background. The slope of the neck parallels the profile of her face, yet is perpendicular to the angle of her gaze looking toward the bottom right corner. This creates a triangular composition that keeps the viewer’s eye moving through the piece rather than fixating on one detail.