Child bride
Dan Carpenter
A haunting and deeply emotional portrait of a ten-year-old Afghan child bride. Her small face is shown in profile, bowed under the weight of an ornate, jeweled tiara and a translucent white veil with gold embroidery. The heavy application of bright pink and purple acrylic paint around her nearly closed eyes emphasizes her youth and the solemnity of her expression. The contrast between the vibrant, celebratory colors of her wedding makeup and her posture of quiet resignation creates a powerful sense of tragedy. The pale lavender background isolates her, focusing the viewer entirely on the vulnerability of the young subject.
Behind the Canvas:
This acrylic on canvas work is a narrative portrait exploring the human rights crisis of child marriage. Based on photojournalism from Afghanistan, the artist focuses on the juxtaposition of decorative beauty and individual suffering. The use of layering in the acrylic medium captures the delicate nature of the bridal lace while grounding the piece in the stark reality of the ten-year-old subject's experience.
Behind the Canvas:
This acrylic on canvas work is a narrative portrait exploring the human rights crisis of child marriage. Based on photojournalism from Afghanistan, the artist focuses on the juxtaposition of decorative beauty and individual suffering. The use of layering in the acrylic medium captures the delicate nature of the bridal lace while grounding the piece in the stark reality of the ten-year-old subject's experience.