Here's looking at you

elder-with-labret
Old Woman Wearing A Labret, by Helen Andersen. Medium: Gouache on paper. Image size: approx. 18″ x 17″
Helen’s pictures of aboriginal female elders are always strong and striking. This one actually shocks a bit, until you’ve lived with her a while. Then she becomes quite likeable and alive.
Just framed today, she looks her best in a generous mat and a simple, bold frame. She’s BIG. The face is much larger than life size and the frame is over 2 feet square.
BTW, the labret is a wooden plug that women wore, inserted into the lower lip. You may have taken that white shape for lower teeth, but no. That’s the labret. Helen’s title makes no mention of the nose ring.

One thought on “Here's looking at you

Comments are closed.