Hello everyone, Marisol and Alex here! How is everyone doing today? I think Alex and I are doing alright, we’ve just been really busy. Now, I’m sure you guys are reading this saying “huh? Alex and Marisol?” Yep, we’re both posting under the same blog today. Why, you may ask? Well, I will tell you.
A few weeks ago (it may have been a few months ago, I’m no longer sure), Alex and I devised a plan about how we can create a joint post. I came up with an analysis post where he and I look at one picture and we each come up with our own interpretations of the image. This is a bit of an experiment on the male and female perspectives of art, if there is such a thing, that is. Today, Alex and I will be analyzing  “Unrequited Love” by Deviant Art’s Elfdaughter (Averil White, who is also a new contributor to Sketching House, so please give her a warm welcome. Ms. White comes to us from the United Kingdom). So, without further ado, let the analysis begin!

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“UNREQUITED LOVE” ~ Elfdaughter
Marisol’s Take

When I was searching for an image to analyze, I came across “Unrequited Love.” From the moment I laid eyes upon this image, I was blown away! The softness of the edges and the clarity of the textures really make this piece appealing to the eye. The light, shadows, and colors included in this piece draw me in, and it is hard to avoid not looking at this image. The negative space and the pure whiteness really does draw my eye to the center of the piece where I can’t help but notice the shimmering tears streaming down the girl’s face. My heart instantly breaks because there is so much in this piece and there are many different interpretations to be found.
On Elfdaughter’s image description, she states that “[s]ometimes, not even the princess gets her prince…” Given the luxurious textures, fancy decor, and the tell-tale crown, one can interpret this young lady as being a princess. The man in the image even has princely clothes, so this is most likely the predominant interpretation. Adding the title of the piece into the mix, it is clear that the woman in the image loved this man with all her heart, but he did not feel the same. In a way, her shoelessness could also remind one of Cinderella, except in this story, there is no happy ending.
Another interpretation that one may arrive at is that this woman was a bride in waiting and that the man in the portrait was her intended husband. Apparently, he left her at the altar and she is distraught over this fact. The small bouquet of flowers leads one to believe that she was a bride. The fallen petals could serve as an indication of frustration, meaning that the woman could have thrown her bouquet, making the petals fall, or she could have plucked the petals off in a “he loves me, loves me not” fashion. The last petal: “he loves me not.” Her wrinkled, shortened dress looks as disheveled as her feelings.
There are other symbols that need to looked at in “Unrequited Love.” Notice how the majority of the image is done in white. Whiteness is a sign of purity and innocence. This woman is probably pure and chaste and someone of great integrity. Looking at her, one feels as if she saved herself for this man: a dream now unrealized. As for innocence, she probably didn’t do anything to cause this man to leave, instead, she was a victim to his heartless game. Furthermore, the man in the portrait is wearing black, a sign of impurity and evil. Based on the portrait as a whole, it is clear that this man was impure of heart if he was capable of hurting this girl.
Looking at the flowers, one may be able to dig deeper into the portrait. Metaphorically, flowers are symbols of human nature and emotion. Roses are a sign of love and devotion, whereas the color purple is a sign of the unattainable, enchantment, and impossibility. With the aforementioned considered, the woman’s love and devotion is unreturnable by her male counterpart, so she was blinded by love’s enchantment; the fact that the man left her also screams that a “happily ever after” is unattainable. Furthermore, the woman’s eyeshadow is purple, indicating that she may have fell for him “at first sight” and she was disillusioned by his falsified devotion. It is possible that in the back of her mind, she knew that he did not love her the way she needed him to, which is why parting is even more bittersweet…

Alex’s Take

I see that the love interest is not in the scene but is only in a photograph. The character is feeling distance and loneliness, maybe even hopelessness. The model feels more than longing. She feels despair and holds weakly on to the furry blanket.

If looked at in a certain way, it almost seems like she’s holding on to a small cliff and trying to pull herself up to her love interest. The cliff also almost looks snowy, which brings to mind coldness. The model does not receive any warmth from the figure since her feelings are not reciprocated.

White also creates blankness. The model’s mind is like a blank piece of paper with only her love interest, herself and the rose petals on her mind. The picture frame is very decorative, which might symbolize how she idealizes him. But the picture frame lacks bright colors, reminding me of a faded photograph.

She lays almost as if broken and tossed crumpled up in a corner. The rose petals are not bright, which could symbolize cheerfulness and romance. Instead, they symbolize faded memories of a hope for love that once existed but is now fading.

The only part that I couldn’t figure out any meaning for was the tiara, which brings to mind princess and prom. The tiara might represent her special and beautiful heart that she could have offered to her love interest in that she still has. But I feel that the tiara interpretation is a stretch.

Incredibly expressive and emotive picture!

Tags: Art Tutorial, artist, Averil White, blind art, blindness, color analysis, creating textures in art, darkness, Deviant Art Altura-Tears, Deviant Art Artists, Deviant Art Culturalrider, Deviant Art ElfDaughter, Disney, Disney's Cinderella, drawing textures, drawing tutorial, Dreams, Elfdaughter, emotive portraits, How to Analyze a Portrait, Perspective, Photo Analysis, princess crowns, royalty, Strathmore Drawing paper, tutorial for art, unrequited love, weddings, whiteness