Rose Wylie

A photograph of the actress Nicole Kidman in an elegant red dress at a film premiere inspired this painting. Rose Wylie was especially interested in the way the dress was held in place at the back by a thin band. When Wylie encounters something intriguing in her everyday life, she makes a mental note of its most definitive qualities. In this case, she was struck by the voluminous hairstyle and the open back with the black strap, which contrasted with the long, pleated skirt. Without looking at the photograph again, she made a drawing that she later translated into a painting. By concentrating on the fundamental attributes that caught her attention, Wylie transforms the original image into a simplified representation. This reduction to the essential is characteristic of her paintings.