What comes to your mind when you see this Ecuadorian lady from behind? Some people may have a feeling of rejection because she is turning away from the spectator. Could be. To me her posture conveys something else, though. I think she is actually turning towards something, which gives her pose a completeley different meaning. I feel she is turning towards a new and maybe better situation that is waiting for her, which is highlighted by the illuminated horizon she is facing. By turning away from and leaving behind something else she demonstrates hope and optimism, inner strength and determination.
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The overall atmosphere is somewhat magical and symbolizes a gradual transition from past to future. Our eyes may linger on her back with the embroidery of her blouse and her beautifully ornate hair ribbon. So the female figure is clearly in front of us still and not gone yet. We are so close to her, we can almost smell her. Yet she is taller than us, which could mean she has stood up whereas we are still sitting somewhere.
This Painting Took Me 7 Years To Complete!
Can you imagine? In 2013, my husband and I travelled to Ecuador and I came home with a whole bunch of photos, of course. Back then, I created a full Ecuador series of paintings. Only this figure, which I felt was special somehow, I was not able to finish then. One of the reasons was that I simply didn’t feel good enough as an artist yet in order to convey the beauty of this photo. Another reason, much more important, is that I always paint what I feel when I look at the reference photo. And in this case, what I was feeling stayed very unclear to me for a long time. Only after some transformations in my personal life, I started to understand and was able to convert my emotions into the brushes.
Above painting: Determination, oil on canvas, 50 x 100 cm
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