Poodle Ponder Div. V-H, Second place, Mixed Media

I was inspired by the myth of Narcissus and Echo. In the story, Narcissus was a handsome mortal man who became obsessed with his own beauty while gazing at his reflection in water. Some versions of the story say that Narcissus became so obsessed that he neglected his health and died, others say that he eventually transformed into the Narcissus flower. This specific story has been told through famous paintings and literature in the past, and I wanted to make my own interpretation. The wilting plant shows the passage of time and coming of death, while the poodle appears to be absorbed in a world of its own. The mirrors on the walls help highlight the theme of reflection and vanity. For the subject of the painting, I chose to use a pink poodle. I chose this dog breed, because to me they represent show business, high fashion, elegance, and stereotypical posh beauty. Poodles are shown in the media as carefully manicured and are usually used as fashion statements. The flowers painted in the poodle’s hair are roses and represent love. The flowery coat also pays homage to the original myth by juxtaposing a floral to the main subject of the narrative. This piece connects to my portfolio as a whole, because I aim to capture stories through animals (primarily dogs). I believe using an animal to tell human stories relieves the sense of seriousness that many classic figurative paintings have, while still telling the story. In this painting I wanted to warn the viewers about infatuation with temporary values, but I wanted to do so in a light-hearted way.

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