by Brielle Tyler '23

This piece, titled “Blind Spots”, is a portrait of Tess Kontarinis, an 11th grader at Gunston. The style can be classified as abstract art. The image depicts how the right brain and left brain functions through colors and facial expressions. From my research on abstract art, I found a simple definition of it to be: “the distancing of an idea from object referents.”  The art in this style pulls away from the literal, challenging the viewer to interpret what the art means. It can also be called “non-representational art.” Requires creativity, ingenuity, etc. People are interested in abstract art because of the openness of the art; it is typically not confined to one interpretation. Abstract art seemed to be the perfect choice for creating a portrait of the subject, Tess Kontarinis. 

1. The right brain, shown as a blue eye, dials into Tess’s eye for beauty. Blue represents her ability to see and appreciate the depth in a range of art, music, and more. Rather than choosing a bright color for her right brain, a darker blue is more fitting. This color can be more associated with calmness and serenity rather than loud and bold. In terms of Tess’s right brain, I see her creative and imaginative side as being more reserved and thoughtful.

2. The left brain, illustrated as a red face, portrays her logical side and way of expressing her ideas (linear thinking). Red is chosen to emphasize her confidence and strength. Tess stands up for herself. She is not scared by opposing opinions and is quite competitive (shown with open mouth, attentive eyes). Most people are quick to take notice of it; this is especially true of the way she speaks and breaks things down logically. She does not have much patience with irrational ideas and irrational people. Red ties back to her intolerance for nonsense.

3. Finally, the center, shown as a yellow and orange face, represents Tess’s body rather than her mind. The color shifts back to a tone closer to her own skin. The eyes are linked between the figures and the mouth of the central figure is not present. Orange and yellow are colors that could represent extroversion or sociability. Though, this art is meant to analyze thought instead of speech (covering a mouth from the physical body but keeping it for the left brain).