Brazilian artist Joao Candido Portinari, Portrait of Carmem Mayrink Veiga (1959)
A very imposing and striking portrait with wonderfully bold contrasts and shapes. She has delightfully pinky flesh, and the fearless use of red adds an exciting dynamic. The falling mass of hair at different levels breaks the symmetry adding further energy. Her large eyes are full of confidence. Her red lips emphasise A very imposing and striking portrait with wonderfully bold contrasts and shapes. She has delightfully pinky flesh, and the fearless use of red adds an exciting dynamic. The falling mass of hair at different levels breaks the symmetry adding further energy. Her large eyes are full of confidence. Her red lips emphasise her features and captivate the beholder. Starring at her face has a hypnotic effect.
In a centrally placed bust portrait, the subject fills the frame. She is wearing a simple, plain bold red dress.
The face is whiter than the rest of the exposed skin. The lighting is full-frontal, strong like a camera flash.
She has an elongated face, a long neck, and a chiselled jawline with a suggestion of a dimpled chin. Her full lips are a bright orange-red with a hint of highlighted gloss. Her large almond eyes are surrounded by long eyelashes and topped with pointed, arched thin black eyebrows. A pronounced aquiline nose accentuates the face projecting a confident, sophisticated woman.
There is a strong contrast of flesh against a black background and black hair. Subtle touches of highlighted streaks of white indicate the top of the head. Highlights and strands of hair soften the otherwise dense black.
Her hair cascades over her shoulders, contrasting with the light flesh tones. The right side of her hair is lower, full length to the bottom edge picture frame. The shape of her visible red dress is asymmetrical. The volumes of hair and extent are disproportional. The difference sets up an imbalance creating a dynamic asymmetry that offsets the otherwise symmetrical composition that captivates the beholder.
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