Tanya Karlova's Gallery

hi tanya,  i've come back several times to look at your work and one thing that always startles me is the contrast between your playful profile picture and your images. there are so few clues aside from an aguished, isolated, seemingly captive figure that the paintings provide a perfect rorschach, meaning the response from the viewer exposes much about the viewer.  although the subject is practically nude, there is an absence of sexual overtones.   the title "art class in a mental institution" intrigues.  it makes me think she is the model, being "drawn", studied and maybe even watched from behind the curtain which you've left partially open.  the one with the large male hands and the heavy paint gestures behind raise my anxiety.  even though the hands look free from tension they don't seem to be comforting and it feels like if they tighten at all they will crack the very fragile looking arm. the back of the artist also looks painfully thin. the body in each vignette is so well positioned and rendered, very expressive work.