Frau mit Spiegel 2012

Manuela Sambo painted this striking image, *Frau mit Spiegel*, using oil on canvas. The palette is pretty limited, but the colours are mixed in such a way that the skin takes on a luminous, almost otherworldly quality. It is as if the figure is emerging out of the canvas. The thin black lines give a sense of structure, but look closer, it’s not really how bodies are structured, is it? There is something both sensual and unsettling about this vision. I’m drawn to the yellow cloth and the strange rose background. It brings to mind Paula Modersohn-Becker’s radical self-portraits, in which the artist explored the female body with similar freedom and emotional depth. This is not just about appearance; it’s about the inner self made visible, inviting us to consider the multifaceted nature of identity.