New look in the mirror. Nastya
by Mikhail Sol

Our society sets certain expectations about how women should look. As a result almost every girl develops a cocoon of insecurity trying to hide under a fake image.
I'm working on a series of portraits depicting young girls who face certain challenges in their lives. The portrait of Nastya is a part of it. The young girl is not aware of her beauty and I wanted to show it. That's why while looking at the picture you may think a mirror is missing. I painted an image of a wonderful girl who is lost in thoughts and unaware of her beauty, trying to hide from the cruel world. She looks like a sculpture. She doesn't want to hear what people say, she just wants harmony and peace with herself. This girl is like a ray of light in the dark world of worries and prejudices. When the portrait was finished Nastya saw herself in a new way, thus, I reached my goal. As a modern artist I want to show that there are beautiful women throughout the ages, not only on Renaissance canvases.