The Overworld & The Underbite 2021

Camilla d'Errico created this striking image, "The Overworld & The Underbite" sometime in the 20th century. Immediately, one notices the painting’s pale palette, composed with soft edges and subtle gradations of color. This gives the artwork a dreamlike quality, emphasized by the large eyes and the otherworldly stillness of the central figure. The composition is structured by a contrast of textures. The smoothness of the figure's skin and hair is offset by the rougher depiction of the dogs' fur and the patterned ladybugs that adorn the figure’s head. The painting can be understood through the lens of structuralism and the semiotic system of signs, revealing an interest in the interplay between surface appearances and underlying structures. The use of pale hues and soft textures creates a sense of ethereal beauty, but the odd combination of elements prompts us to question conventional notions of harmony. In this way the artwork becomes a site for the re-evaluation of aesthetic standards, suggesting that art’s meaning is derived not just from what is represented but how that representation challenges fixed meanings.