Description
Faces in the Mirror III – four eyes in a square
Painting on canvas crams four faces into a square crop so they overlap and each shows only a part of itself: wall art doing what a crowd does — you read the group before you read anyone in it.
Technique and texture
The colour is laid in smooth, slightly modelled planes that lighten toward the outside of each face. Every boundary is drawn with a thick black line holding the planes apart like lead in stained glass. The eyes are white with a hard black iris and one white flash, which is what gives them their glassy look.
The motif
The faces are turned in different directions and not one looks straight out, so the eye circulates instead of settling. A saturated red vertical band divides the composition into two unequal parts and stops it becoming symmetrical. Because every face is cut by an edge, the scene reads as larger than the canvas holding it.
Setting and placement
A red this strong behind a black contour will take the role of the main event in a room, which is a decision rather than a default. The square crop wants to hang alone; putting other work beside it costs both.
- Technique: hand-painted painting on canvas, smooth modelled planes, thick black dividing contour, glassy eyes
- Palette: cream, sand, olive-yellow, red, black
- Ideal for: living rooms, dining rooms, reception rooms
- Character: vivid, graphic, dense
Choose the size that suits your wall.
