Ester

Description

Esther is a work that speaks in whispers and silences, in the spaces between what is seen and what is hidden. At first glance, the viewer is drawn to the figure’s back, her posture both vulnerable and resolute. She turns away, her face unseen, yet the composition insists that her beauty is undeniable. This paradox of being unable to see oneself while radiating grace to others, forms the emotional core of the piece. It is a meditation on womanhood, on the ways we sometimes turn our backs on our own worth, and on the divine assurance that beauty and purpose remain even when unseen.

The palette is rich with contrast. Warm tones of skin, layered with subtle washes of ochre, sienna, and rose, glow against a cooler, darker background. This interplay of warmth and shadow is not accidental; it reflects the tension between self-doubt and divine affirmation. The artist’s brushwork is expressive, textured, alive with movement. The strokes are not smoothed into invisibility but left raw, as though to remind us that identity is not polished perfection but lived experience. The braid, rendered with careful attention, becomes a symbol of continuity and strength, each strand woven into the next, echoing the biblical Esther’s courage and the interwoven nature of faith, timing, and destiny.

Colour theory deepens the resonance of this piece. The darker backdrop, composed of deep greens, muted blues, and earthy reds, creates a cocoon of introspection. These hues carry psychological weight: green, often associated with renewal, here feels shadowed, suggesting the hidden growth that occurs in seasons of waiting; blue, the colour of depth and distance, evokes the quiet solitude of self-reflection; red, subdued and restrained, hints at passion and courage held in reserve. Against this, the warm tones of the figure’s skin emerge as a focal point of light, a reminder that even in shadow, beauty and purpose shine forth. The subtle highlights along the shoulders and braid act as visual affirmations, guiding the eye to the central truth of the work: that worth is not diminished by self-doubt, nor hidden by turned faces.

Compositionally, Simoné employs restraint and balance. The figure occupies the central vertical axis, her back forming a strong line that anchors the canvas. Negative space surrounds her, allowing the viewer’s gaze to linger on the textures of skin and hair without distraction. The absence of facial features is deliberate, inviting projection and universality. She could be any woman, every woman, carrying within her the story of forgetting and remembering her own value. The use of the turned back also disrupts the traditional portrait convention, where identity is revealed through the face. Here, identity is revealed through posture, through light, through the unspoken.

Thematically, Esther draws deeply from its biblical namesake. Esther, the queen who risked her life to save her people, embodies bravery, divine timing, and purpose. In this painting, the reference is not literal but symbolic. The figure’s turned back suggests the moments when women, in their humanity, turn away from themselves, doubting their worth. Yet, as with Esther of scripture, God’s presence and design remain steadfast. The viewer, standing before the canvas, sees what the figure cannot: her undeniable beauty, her quiet strength, her radiance. This dynamic creates a profound emotional exchange, where the audience becomes witness to a truth the subject herself cannot perceive.

The technique reinforces this narrative. The brushstrokes are layered, sometimes bold, sometimes delicate, creating a surface that feels alive with tension and release. Labuschagne, resists over-definition, allowing edges to blur, colours to bleed, and textures to remain tactile. This choice mirrors the complexity of self-perception: we are never fully defined, never entirely fixed, but always in process, always becoming.

Ultimately, Esther is more than a portrait; it is a mirror held up to the viewer. It asks us to consider the ways we, too, turn our backs on our own worth, and it reminds us that beauty and purpose are not dependent on our ability to see them. They exist, unchanging, because they are divinely given. The painting becomes a quiet act of restoration, a call to remember.

As you stand before Esther, you may find yourself asking: what beauty in me remains unseen, and what courage waits to be claimed?

Artist: Simoné Labuschagne