Joel-Peter Witkin Portrait of Nan

The lady within the portrait is sitting in a classical portraiture position. This established cliche, emphasised with the handing fabric, provides a base for deviation in which statments can be more easily understood. Religious symbols are used throughout the piece, such as the partial cross that is superimposed over her face, possibly from a different portrait, possibly of the Virgin Mary, and the lamb she is holding in her hands. The skeleton on the right hand side of the picture symbolizes death. The scale shift makes the already large woman appear even gotesquly more so. Her hair is pinned to the wall in such a way that it looks like muscel tendons pulled taunt. Her chest and arms have odd tatoos. the backdrop appears to be a dingy studio, with odd lighting. The picture picture appears hellish, as if it is a depiction of a portrait from one of Dante's levels of hell.  It is difficult to look at because of its gruesome cliches, but it is difficult to interpret the artists intention. If the portrait utilized to super impose is of the Vergin, the artist could be making a statement on the corruption within the church, or just how people put on good fronts, but underneath they are grotesque and not what how they.