First, I want to compare my picture to the Aristocratic Baroque style, specifically the painting by Peter Paul Reubens entitled "Venus at a Mirror". Both of the images show an idealized and dramatized vision of a woman's body, as is common with this style. Also, the subjects both have very sad expressions on their faces, like they are getting no pleasure from what they see. However, my picture also differs from "Venus at the Mirror". The main difference is the fact that while the Baroque style tried to idolize the ideal human body, my picture points out the opposite of this ideal, the reality.
Next, I would like to talk about what my picture symbolizes. When we received this assignment my first thought was of the reality of horrible self-image and the pursuit of a fake ideal in our society. By this I mean the fact that from very early on in our lives we are inundated with images that tell us we do not measure up to the standard of beauty that is expected of us. So we strive to meet that standard and when we fail, we learn to hate ourselves. And yet, we still try. Try to look and be perfect. We try to become like the models and actors we see, all the while knowing we can't because they aren't real, but still we try. We hide behind our perfect masks, hoping no one will notice the flaws beneath the surface. It's an endless cycle of pretending and hating. This picture symbolizes all those people who have ever pretended to be perfect, hiding the flawed but beautiful person beneath.
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