Girls in the Naked Girl Business: Charlie

Zak Smith

2004

Synthetic polymer paint and ink on paper

40 x 30"

I love this piece due to the level of emotion/meaning it expells. The symmetry puts the girl directly in the middle, the emphasis on her face. Our eyes are led to her face and body and back up again in a mostly vertical direction due to the many vertical lines throughout (the lightbulb, the wall, her arms and legs, the wire/cord). The postive and negative space is used to suggest a dramatic, emotional scene, despite the calm that the girl puts forth. The room is messy, but the detail in the background images are exquisite, forcing the audience to see the amount of chaos going on around the more washed-out girl. It's as if she threw on a few items of clothing simply to pose for the portrait. This is a beautiful piece.