Pretty Woman.

Chic and modern, Svetlana Bagdasaryan’s "Pretty Woman." recalls high fashion and Alex Katz’s impossibly cool portraits. From clothes to demeanor, the subject is aggressively stylish and glamorous. Her imposing shadow lends the painting more depth than is typical of Katz's oeuvre. However, the translucent appearance of her body and garments reduces that depth and brings the work equally into the realm of abstraction as figuration. Bagdasaryan obfuscates the subject and backdrop by letting the woman’s colors bleed into her surroundings and vice versa. This painterly trick of the eye creates an interesting commentary on quotidian geometric abstraction. Paired down to just form and color, the everyday world becomes an abstract sea of straight and curving lines, clashing or harmonious colors. We often choose an outfit based on where we intend to go; we have city clothes, country clothes, beach clothes, etc. Our environments inform how we present ourselves, and our appearance informs the environment. A symbiotic relationship that turns everyone into an artist (at least sometimes; occasionally, sweatpants win).