The Mirror of the Soul: 16 Newman Street, London W1T 1PB

The striking world of Sofia Fotiadou’s paintings leaves the viewer struck and mystified. The classic motif of aristocracy meshed with abstract conceptualisation evokes the feelings of familiar and yet foreign, as we look and try to understand the meaning.

Sofia takes inspiration from the artists of the past and elevates their style to a new level. The deconstructed nature of the subject is designed to make us question the concept of beauty and the appealing. The body is done in a classical, familiar style of the old masters, creating a sense of predictability. However, as the viewer raises the eyes, they see a giant eye in the place of the head. This disembodied eye makes the viewer feel uneasy as they investigate this alien yet, somehow, recognisable face.

The uniform nature of the background ensures that the viewer’s attention does not wander. That way Sofia’s paintings feel personal and private, leaving us transfixed looking upon them. The circular shape surrounding the subject act as a lens further drawing us in, focusing of the details in the brushwork as well as the meaning. 

The delicate brushwork and meticulous attention to details combine to form striking paintings, which make one enchanted and eager to look on, to find their beauty. The softness of the colours and shapes juxtaposed with the appearance of the subject create a scene to be admired and studied and not one to be frightened of. 

Sofia Fotiadou’s works evoke the feelings of change and movement. As we observe them we see the reflection of ourselves. Just as subject, we are stuck in the moment between established and rigid past, and fluent mystery of the future. Her paintings become a gateway to understanding our values. The artist encourages us to question the pre-established notions of beauty and normality, presenting them as fluid and ever-changing concepts that, just as her subjects, should be studied and admired, rather than feared and restrained in the prism of past ideals.