Brooke Shaden

I found, or rather, rediscovered Rossina’s flickr site when I found out that she too had been restricted by flickr staff. The thing that bothers me so much about it is that she has a point of view, and I believe that more people should figure out what that point of view is.

I took my inspiration for my last photo from this painting of hers:

I could go on and on, so really I should write an essay and file it away in my “long and gratuitous essay” folder, but instead I’ll keep it short. The first thing that struck me were the brush strokes. The way they are almost abstract in form, with bits of red splattered about the cloak, gives the painting such movement and a sense of chaos. The bit of blue running down the cloak catches the eye, furthers the question of where the person is, why are they there. The neutral color pallet of all reds and pinks almost makes the girl blend into the background, yet her cloak stands out just enough. And further, her expression makes her inherently different than the trees that are painted into the background. The subject may be part of this background, yet she doesn’t seem to belong. Those brush strokes, they give the entire piece tension.

In my interpretation of Rossina’s painting, I hoped to capture the same artistic brush stroke, in a way, by allowing my subject to be blended into the background. The main difference I see from my piece to hers is that my subject is not defiant, as I see hers to be. Instead, she has just made the decision to comply. She is ready to fade into the background.