Girl Before the Mirror Essay

The painting by Pablo Picasso â€Å"Girl Before the Mirror† was the painting that caught my attention because at first glance I notice a woman adjusting the mirror as she is looking at her reflection; this is something I do every day. I gazed longer at the painting and the woman’s appearance seems to be younger in the mirror, perhaps she is reflecting on her past (youth). The dialogue taking place in this story is with herself as she is reflecting on the many years that have passed and how her appearance has changed. Her pregnancy has captured her attention to the changes in her life. The painting reflects the past, present, and future. The different colors, lines, and shapes tell a story about her development. The colors in the mirror are deep dark in color representing a faint memory of what once was. Looking at herself in the mirror gives her a sense of relief yet pain. She can still see a little of her youth in the mirror, which easies some of her distress as she is aging knowing one day that the memories of her youth will soon fade. The long strokes of lines and curves in the mirror by her face and around her head display a covering a sense of innocence; before she has known a man intimately. The lines in the lower area of her body in the mirror shows it is still in development as the lines are arched up and not down in a drooping manner as with age. Her body has not set firmly in position so it appears altered in the mirror just like a teenager starting puberty; one breast grows larger than the other. In her conversation with herself she knows her innocence has vanished, and a development is changing her life once again; the baby growing within her. The circles remind me of life. There is a beginning and an ending. The circles in this painting are in locations of the body that develop at a much faster pace than the rest of the body. The breast is developing in the mirror as the breast of the women looking at herself has full bulging breast because of her pregnancy. The circle in the stomach area in the mirror is low; the uterus, and it is still n the development stage. The circle in the stomach area of the women looking at herself in the mirror is fully developed. The black thick circle is completed meaning the uterus is fully developed and the green color almost filling the inside of the thick black circle is the womb. It is almost time to bring forth the baby into the world and life begins for the baby and the women looking at herself in the mirror. The circle on the elbow symbolizes the joints of the bones and is completely developed and aging. In pregnancy the baby will draw the calcium from the mother’s bones making the joints age and hurt. Her circle eyes in the mirror not fully develop like a baby’s ultrasound picture shows her childlike innocence. When a child looks at you unsure of something, his or her eyes become round in curiosity. The women looking at herself is thinking â€Å"where is my youth. I do not remember it fading away and I am starting a new chapter in my life and as I reflect on my new life with child I have to cope with my youth fading away. Thinking to herself further â€Å"will I remember my past,† as she looks at herself in the mirror; seeing a dim fraction of her youth. I believe this piece of art symbolize â€Å"reflection. † The mirror is the object of focus; at some point in life one looks back at the past whether it is in thought, pictures, or video. The days go by so fast and in the everyday activity of life that time becomes precious as it is very limited. If one does not stop to reflect on it (life) once in a while life will just pass them by like a shadow from the side of your eye that quickly disappears when you try to focus upon it. The very purpose of the painting may be to stop and reflect on the past; where you have been or accomplished in your life, and where you may see yourself in the years to come. The artist drew this painting to express his thoughts on what he was thinking at the time. The mirror is a symbolism object that the artist used to allow the viewer to relate and interpret his thoughts. The artist must have been aging at the time he drew the picture and his thoughts reflected his emotions. I believe he used a woman because women are emotional and symbolizes life. The women’s body produces life and before life can begin it has to develop. The baby develops in the womb and at the right time the baby is born and life starts. In time life changes from baby to toddler, adolescence, and adult, and one must take time to reflect on it before it is gone. In concluding the mirror represents reflection of what you see and what was and perhaps what will come; age. If you do not take time to reflect on yourself life will pass by just like a circle there is a beginning and an ending. The beginning of the circle is the start (birth) and as life develops the ending becomes closer to the beginning and once it touches life is complete. There will be no time left to reflect on life as it has passed by. The painting does not just represent females but males too. The painting is about life and reflecting on oneself before time runs out. There is a time for birth and a time to give birth but people in time will pass away. My first emotion when viewing the painting was time. One cannot buy time or stop time it keeps going despite of what is going on in it.