Portrait of Anne in Sunglasses 1981

Avigdor Arikha painted this portrait of Anne in sunglasses. Arikha's life was deeply shaped by historical events; escaping Nazi persecution as a child, he was very aware of the fragility of life, which influenced his artistic choices. His decision to paint only from life is reflected here; with the model present, he embraced the immediate, unfiltered experience, capturing not just a likeness, but an authentic moment in time. Anne's gaze, though partially concealed, holds a directness. Consider the act of wearing sunglasses: what does it mean to shield oneself, to create a barrier between the viewer and the viewed? The glasses, acting as a mirror, reflect back at us. The portrait speaks to both visibility and concealment, presence and absence, the seen and the unseen. It's a reflection on how we present ourselves, and how we perceive others.