This is “Focus” painted by Jonathon Romain at an unknown date, but likely around 2016.
Focus is about attention, clarity. But here it creates mystery. We see just enough of the subject to setup the basics of the scene. But nothing is explained. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? We have no idea. But I want to know more. The imagination runs wild. The attire and muscular shins suggests this could be a dancer taking a break. But we really don’t know. A gender is suggested, but not confirmed. Youth is present, but hardly narrowed down. The eyes, normally windows to the soul, are dark and not going to help us here. Those windows are closed for the day. Mystery is the name of the game here, but the best type. The type where you get to finish the adventure.
The expression seems contemplative and the figure at rest. Yet the painting explodes with energy. The dress fluoresces under a brilliant light that also illuminates the foreshortened arm and shoulders. Actually, I think there are two light sources – a primary to the right side and a secondary to the right front. On the woman’s cheeks, a white paint reflects where there otherwise would be shadow.
The tiny splash of aqua and green in the lower left is mysterious in its own right. If this was a posed session, perhaps it is a window in the back of the room. But for some reason it creates a wonderful counterpoint to the black, white and browns in the rest of the painting. Without it, the painting would still be profound. But with it, the world in which this scene exists is expanded.
