Three Eyes in a Row

About the work

Three round eyes run across a broad face, immediately disrupting the familiar symmetry of a portrait. Curves between them suggest several possible outlines of a nose. Below are clearly defined lips, a slender neck and curved collar lines. The black line varies in weight, with heavy eye contours beside lighter turns of cheek and chin.

The repeated eye does not produce a regular ornament. The ovals tilt differently, pupils shift, and short marks above them vary; the gaze seems to diverge in several directions. Yet the outer contour holds these displacements within a single face. The pale centre and sparse lower lines leave the eyes enough space to determine the expression. The grotesque emerges through a precise alteration of a familiar arrangement, with few additional details.