My sheer disdain for this piece is palpable — and creates in this work an energy that a collector might find fiery, engaging, and dynamic. And ironic, probably.
I'm a figurative artist, and most of my subjects are women portrayed as strong in their beauty and powerful in their femininity.
This one, though (inspired by the grotesque figures of Egon Schiele juxtaposed against a palette of energetic colors inspired by Howard Tangye) is sorrowful — almost sick — and ugly.
She's me, the artist, a year into COVID + introvert-related isolation marked by overthinking, overworking, and utter loneliness, all culminating in a distaste for food and weight loss that can only be explained by heartbreak. Because what's life when it's lived behind closed doors, and the mirror is distorted anyway?
Traditional art takes crypto in Unfortunate Self Portrait, a Sturdevant Studios piece by Chicago-based artist Sophie Sturdevant.
Discover more: sturdevantstudios.com or connect with the artist via IG: @sophiesturdevant and Twitter: @sophiesaidso
