Lily, age 17
2023
Acrylic paint on canvas board
30 x 20 cm
My work reflects the roles and power of women, both in Manet’s time and in my own contemporary experience. My inspiration came from the woman reflected in the mirror in Manet’s painting holding a pair of opera glasses.
I made the background of my work faded, fluid, and impressionistic by adding water to the paint. I wanted to draw attention to the woman’s hand and opera glasses, in contrast to the reality of Manet’s time, when women were often overlooked and underestimated.
This is still relevant today; many women are often disregarded. Yet the opera glasses can also be used to the benefit of the woman, allowing her the freedom to observe others, manipulating her invisibility to her own advantage, showing the subtle power of women.