This image was taken as an interpretation of the contemporary human body. As women, we are told by culture what type of body is "attractive", what we should look like, and how we should act. There are so many negative connotations surround the image of a woman in our culture that I feel are wrong. I have encountered many women in my life that possess the qualities I feel are the most important to a young woman in this day and age. The purpose of this image is to portray a more positive view of women in the 21st century, so I decided not to focus on the body at all, but rather the characteristics that make up the person.
I asked Catherine to choose a word that she felt most represented a quality that women should possess. She chose "strength", so we wrote "strong" on her arm, because she is a strong woman of God. Coming outside of the physical aspect of society and focusing more on the inner self is what this image is about. I purposely did not show her face to try and draw focus away from what she looks like, her outward appearance, and instead chose to focus on the qualities she has that makes her a beautiful young woman.
Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818
Looking at this image I was reminded of the emotion I was trying to capture with my own image. Granted in this painting the entire body is visible as compared to only the face in my own, there is still a similar aspect that a can be drawn out of this image. In this oil painting by Friedrich, we do not see the face of the man, only his back, yet it says a great deal about him and his character. He is standing in the midst of the sea, looking out towards it. He is looking at it as if to say, I am strong and ready to take you on. He is facing his future. I look at this image as a picture of life. The sea looks tormenting but yet beautiful at the same time, which life often is. His hair is windblown and it looks as if he could have been standing there for quite some time.
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