I have sat in front of this piece of art countless times. I have seen it over and over again and wondered about it. I see the feminine figure of a girl dancing in the sun, out in the open by a fantastic tree, and I think about the artist who painted it. I think about all the things that were going on in her mind as she was painting this piece. I think about her life, the principles she values, the feeling of liberty, or maybe the need for that feeling that led to this creation. I wonder if she was thinking about herself and her journey in this life, or if she was thinking about the journey of every woman in the face of the earth today, or at any point in time.
I sit in silence in front of this warm colored piece of art that shows a girl in the middle of a field holding something that is unseen, maybe a concept, a feeling or maybe even an ideal. She holds her arms up in the air in an endless embrace, as her hair is caressed by the wind and floating about. She wears a short white dress that shows her legs, but its length is perfect for her. The length of the dress, just above her knees, allows for her to be feminine, sensual and fresh in what could have been a warm summer afternoon. She wears the dress with such a perfection, grace, and lightness that one can’t help but to think that she is the only being in the universe that can get away with being immortalized in a piece of art wearing it.
There are a few other items in this painting that make its composition tight in the enclosed environment of the canvass, but in the way in which they are arranged together they elevate the expression of the painting way beyond of its limited dimensions. There is a heavenly body that seems to represent a sun, but not an ordinary one. This sun seems to have feelings for those who receive the benefit of its light, and like so, it almost seems to be smiling in witnessing the freedom of the girl. There is also a tree that appears to be growing by the minute, as one admires the painting, and this is just because there is such dynamism in the interaction between all the elements in the image that they all seem to be doing something more than what they were captured doing when this moment was celebrated.
Even the ground in which the girl stands seems to be evolving as I type this explanation, as if representing the ever-changing, and ever-mutating shape of the earth, or the universe for that matter. To the right of the painting, as one faces it, there is an elevation that seems to be a mountain or a hill of some sort. Its perspective is loose, and it’s hard to tell whether it is near the front, where we as spectators are located, or if it’s many miles away, far in the background, but after a while, it doesn’t even seem to matter, since we can see it from where we are, and that is sufficient to understand its role in the complete equation. It brings balance.
Facelessness Beauty
The girl doesn’t have a face, and yet there is a lot of beauty to her. She is facing us. She is facing the world. She is presenting herself as she is, simple, pure, loving, vulnerable, whole, but more than anything she is free. We can’t really see her feet, but if we could I would be willing to bet that she is barefooted. There is a certain lightness to her whole being, as if she was a dancer. She looks like she just finished dancing or is about to start doing it. Her facelessness becomes an attribute to her mystery, since instead of making her anonymous it makes her perpetual, like she can’t age, like what we are seeing is not her physical body, but a pure manifestation of her being, her essence, one could go as far as to claim that this delicate figure is her soul. I get he impression as well that she could be any woman we have ever loved in our life, mom, sister, daughter, wife… and she is happy, no, more than that, she is ecstatic that she can give herself to us completely in any way she can, and what she asks in return is so little, and yet we make it seem like it is so much. Her long hair, floating in the unseen air, waves and salutes as part of her, part of her freedom, part of her embrace, but also as a symbol of her uniqueness and the liberty with which she carries herself.
Her slender arms are also very distinct features that add up to her meaning. I believe that the way in which they are arranged is very symbolic. They are not falling to her sides. They are not raised up in a “V” shape. They are not holding anything that we can see with our bare eyes. She is holding her arms high above her head in what seems to be something more than a symbolic hold. Perhaps the answer to the question, “what is the girl holding?” will be the element of discussion in college courses or artistic discussions sometime in the future. Perhaps I will never truly know, but I can speculate. She is holding on to everything in her life, and more than anything, life itself. She, her very essence, is depicted in this painting as a magical being, as a true miracle of the universe and a celebration of life. She is the visual embodiment of a free spirit and she is rejoicing in her existence, as I am.
I can think of many reasons why an artist would paint something like this. In this particular situation the artist is Mexican woman from Mexico and the painting was done in the early 2000’s. Even though this country has developed considerably, there is still a lot of ground to cover when it comes to equal rights and equality between men and women. It is not an uncommon occurrence for women to be beat up and abused by their husbands, and in some instances even by family members. These kinds of situations, of course, take place almost all around the world, but in this case the artist happens to be from this country. This is not to say that this is the ultimate reason, or the only reason for that matter, for the creation of this piece.
It is my impression as well that this painting talks about a spiritual freedom, and I’m not referring to religious freedom only, but to a freedom of the soul that goes beyond conventional dogmas or systems of beliefs written by a human hand. The freedom she seeks, or perhaps the freedom she found, is the freedom a person searches as an individual. This freedom I am referring to is that which allows us to make the choices we believe are the right ones, and also the one that allows us to learn and forgive ourselves for our mistakes. This freedom is a very intimate and personal one, and it is very different from person to person, but for her this is a very attainable one, and also one that she holds dear, and true to her heart.
Here and There
There are hardly or any straight lines in this piece of art, and everything seem to be somewhat loose and because of this there seems to be a lot of movement in the frame. The only somewhat vertical lines, or verticality, observed in the painting is in the trunk of the tree. There is an upward movement very symbolic of growth that can be appreciated in the many points that make it up, since the trunk has no concrete definition. This is certainly appropriate, since in this way one still gets an impression of solidity and sturdiness, almost as if the tree had some kind of toughness to it and definitely a more intimate connection to the land. The ground has horizontal elements, although once again, just like with the tree, no certain or concrete definition. I find it interesting that what would typically be the most concrete or solid elements, the tree, the ground and even the hill/mountain, are formed or represented by dots or lines. It’s almost as if the place or plane of existence of this ethereal being is between realms of existence. As if this girl is not in the same world we are, or better yet, she is in the same world we live in and also somewhere else, a place where she connects with herself.
The girl, even though upright, is mostly depicted with diagonal and round lines. The curves that shape her body certainly remind us of her femininity. She seems delicate, but as opposed to the ground or the tree she has a completely solid body. Her figure is slender, but one gets the impression that despite being a thin and delicate being, she is not fragile. Her built resembles that of a young woman, she is still a girl, but one can attest with certainty that she is becoming or has become a woman.
The sun keeps its round shape, and is the only other element of the panting that has a solid outline, although, faithful to this dreamy-like composition, its color is an aqua-green, impossible for a celestial body of its nature. But then again, what is possible or impossible in this private and intimate world seems to be outside any forceful attempt of explanation.
In this way, the aqua-green sun sheds many hues of yellow and orange that melt in the background of this image indiscriminately, making the over-all experience of admiring this painting a warm experience. Somehow, there is an impression that despite the irregularities of the ground, the undefined shape of the tree and the awkwardness of the color of the sun, this is a safe environment. This place is a sacred ground where one can only feel privileged for being able to see it, or know of its existence.
The many colors of the points that make up the ground, the blues, greens and blacks, give the impression that they can be anything that make up for a surface, water, grass or dirt, but despite its irregularities, one also gets the impression that is okay to be there.
The painting in essence and form is very simple. The figures are uncomplicated; yet, they hold a lot of meaning and value to them. It is in this simplicity that their significance takes on a larger level. It was not necessary for the artist to define every single line of the figures she presented to us in order to express a lot. As a matter of fact, this style adds to its meaning. There is a feel of innocence and freedom, and the painting evokes to those moments and feelings when there is no corruption of the virtue, of childhood, of growing up, but growing up with a pure heart, and a clean soul.
The material is oil on canvas, and I can’t say how many times I have seen this piece from a breath away and felt the imperative need to be part of that fantastic world, and its texture is but another reason for this feeling. Whenever I get close to it, and I’m able to see every minute detail of it, I get the feeling that the whole painting is irradiating energy. Every item in this piece is emanating some form of energy, and the texture of it certainly reflects this. The background is very smooth and silky. Most of it seems to represent light, and so the evenness of it contributes to the feeling of “lightness” and ultimately the sensation of peace. The girl and the sun have more of a substantial quality, which adds up to the energy and presence they command.
She is there for me
Every time I see this painting my attention is directed unselfishly and very gently to the figure of the girl. She is the main point of attention because of her features, because of where she is located, right in the middle of the painting, because of her beautifully simple white dress and because of everything she symbolizes. I close my eyes in front of the painting once, twice and every time I open them I see the girl and then, everything else.
After admiring her simplicity I undoubtedly have to look up the sun. It is in the upper right corner, but not too far out. The sun, in all of its immensity and power, seems benevolent and caring, it’s almost as if it wanted to look after the girl, but I get the feeling that she is too free and lively, so more than anything the sun is just admiring her and her beauty.
Usually after contemplating the interaction between the sun and the girl I divert my attention to the tree and the ground and think about the relationship between them all. The tree and the ground seem to be some sort of mantle that protects the girl from outside forces. They provide an environment in which she can evolve and feel safe. Their flimsy or surreal texture makes them soft, but dynamic. There is a lot of emotion in them, and their interaction as a whole feels like that of nature with the spiritual world.
This is when my mind flies away with her. This moment, which takes place soon after absorbing it all, her figure, the sun up in the sky, the ever-changing universe in which she lives, the bright and radiant colors that make up the background is a sacred one. From that moment on I cease to exist as I know and travel far away. There has been an invitation to transcend extended to me. This invitation came in the form of a painting that speaks to me so powerfully softly, that I accept it with all the joy and emotion that I am capable of feeling. And I fall with her. I fall to her.
I let myself go and leave behind my fears, doubts and all of those self-destructive behaviors that keep me from evolving. I see her as a living model of the power and reach of the human soul. I see her and everything she symbolizes as the next step in the evolution of a being. The most beautiful part of all this is that it seems to just happen without force or effort on my part, almost as if I am meant to follow this path, almost as if the way had been painted for me to go after, almost as if there was no other way to go but there with her into her universe, and once I’m there I find out that that this is also my place, the place where I was supposed to be all along, the place that was waiting for me even before I was born, and I feel blessed for being able to recognize it, and for taking all the necessary steps to be here.
I gain a lot from admiring this piece of art on a regular basis. It takes me somewhere deep and profound within myself. I often think of abstract concepts when admiring it, like freedom, expression, happiness and unconditional love and I realize that those concepts are not abstract after all. Those concepts, or feelings more like, are universal and real. This girl in this painting represents all of them in a very simple and romantic way. She is there, all by her lonesome giving herself to me every time, waiting for me to be with her in this journey between realms of existence. I know that she is real. I feel her presence everyday. She is the spiritual embodiment of everything that is good, and everything that is worth living for. This painting has given me many moments of peace and true joy. I feel very grateful that somebody had the insight, inspiration and skill to paint this, as I take it as a beautiful present to my soul.
