Francien Krieg - An Unfinished Likeness

This work is a woodcut with an irregular, cut-out contour. Through the use of trompe-l’œil — literally “to deceive the eye” — parts of the face and the frame appear to lie at different depths. Shadows, edges and overlaps give the impression of protruding fragments and recessed surfaces. In this way the portrait takes on the character of a spatial wall object. The image refers to classical European portrait painting, but it breaks its unity. The face and the frame seem to slide apart. What normally holds a portrait together becomes here part of the estrangement. With these works I explore how the image of women is formed by beauty ideals and expectations. The frame also stands for the context within which someone is expected to fit. The face does not fully conform to it: it remains present, but is not easily fixed. Francien Krieg

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