Blog Hw #3

This painting I chose is titled "Danielle" by Jeremy Lipking. This depicts a sad or even miserable looking girl around her teen years in a very somber toned setting. At first glance, I thought this painting was idealized because the features of the girl were far too perfect. The typical flawlessly skinned girl with rosy red cheeks to add on to the "innocence" of a teen girl. However, analyzing the painting carefully, I noted some flaws on her face, such as the bags under her eyes. It looks as if she had her eye make-up smeared from tears. Another detail I noticed was her hair was seemingly damp and lifeless. John Berger in, Ways of Seeing states, "The social presence of a woman is different in kind from that of a man" (1). I agree with this quote, I feel that had this been a depiction of a teenage boy, it wouldn't stand out as much as "Danielle". Plus it would look rather awkward to see a boy in this state.