Reflection Painting

As an expressionist work, "Reflection" contains overt emotional content that is reminiscent of a dreamscape. The figure is submerged in the water and looking down into it, as if she has just arisen from the water or is being pulled down into its depths. The bird perched on top of the figure's hair is both a source of light and wisdom and the means of keeping the figure bowed, adding to the already considerable weight on the top of her head. It is perhaps a moment of awakening, where the figure is on the verge of lifting her head and fully integrating the aspects of the self represented by the water and the light. Alternatively, it is a moment of repression, where she is turning away from some aspect of her desire, feeling beholden to a higher consciousness, or to the collective unconscious, which takes the form of a messenger from beyond—the bird—and captures her in its ideal.