Who is that Person?

It took me a little while to determine the gender of this figure. You may argue that it is male or female, but I perceive this particular painting to be a woman, based on her very slender hands. I chose this portrait, because I think her expression can deceive people. When I first looked at her face I believed her to be sad or depressed. Her eyebrows are raised in the middle creating a crease in her forehead and her lips are slightly pursed giving her this slight pout. Trying to put an explanation behind the depressed appearance, I thought because this person is an elder it may have something to do with a lack of youth, as if she was finally defeated and age got the best of her. Her life was slowly coming to a halt and there wasn’t much left. Or that’s what I thought at first.

After looking at her face a little more in depth I noticed her eyes and stopped looking so much at the brow and the pursed lips. Her eyes definitely weren’t melancholy. Well, not for herself at least. They have a certain sternness that is recognizable in any parent or guardian when their child has acted out or gone against their will. Acknowledging her slouched posture and limp hands, she still seemed slightly defeated to me, however her defeat isn’t centered around herself. This is a portrait of a woman who is wise and cares for others.

I think the main reason her face is set the way it has been is because of what she does know. She knows too much for those she cares about, but there is nothing she can do to help them. She seems disappointed, possibly because of lack of respect the younger generation may have or because she’s not being accounted for by them. Her goal would be to help them to learn how to be a good person and how not to take life for granted, but each and every day she sees it happen. Her age is very apparent, but younger people don’t realize that every day they are getting older. This is something that she knows very well and only wishes they would see this as well.

This portrait reminds me of those elderly who truly are taken for granted every day. This is every person’s grandparent. The one who tries their hardest to make sure that you are raised right, live a good life, and make the right decision. But this is also the grandparent that sees the same child disappoint them. It doesn’t make them angry so much as it just upsets them. As every grandparent wishes and hopes for the best, they generally never expect to see themselves become disappointed as this one is. This face, to me, goes right along with someone saying " I love you, but you need to get your life together," or even "You’re better than this." Either one, the look on this woman’s face is not a sadness for herself, it’s definitely directed at a loved one.