Narcissus

Michaela Oberlin-Brown

Year 9

School: Governor Stirling Senior High School

Medium: Digital photography

Artist statement: This photograph is an appropriation of a15th Century Renaissance painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, titled Narcissus. The original work is based on a scene from the Greek myth of Narcissus, where a handsome man falls in love with his reflection. So enraptured is he by his appearance, he sits down by a pool of water and stares at it until he dies of thirst. The aim of this photo is to represent contemporary society’s view of beauty and how this ties in with the myth of Narcissus. As a young girl, I find that our society’s definition of beauty centres on the external appearance of females. Makeup, hair and clothes are all deemed as crucial. I have used these elements to reference our society’s obsession with the self and the rapid growth of vanity.