by Robyn Drake

Artwork Description

Thalia 2

24.0 x 20.0 inches

Thalia is a model I worked with in Chicago many years ago. I recently found photos I'd taken of her and decided to paint her again, nearly 20 years later. Thalia 2 is part of a series about Identity and Containers. 2024 The figure's body, though beautifully formed, appears enclosed within a framework of ambiguous blue planes. These planes may symbolize societal pressures or external expectations that attempt to define the figure's identity. despite the external pressure, Thalia also speaks to the internal struggle. The inward curve of her body suggests a contemplation of self-perception and self-imposed beliefs. We are often our harshest critics, constructing barriers of shame, self-doubt, or rigid self-concepts. The painting invites viewers to question how much of this confinement is truly external and how much comes from the internal dialogue we cannot escape.

Artwork Details

Medium: Painting Oil

Genre: Figurative