Who Is That Person?

When first looking at this painting nothing really stands out as unique or unusual, but if you spend a little more time taking it in a couple things jumped out at me. First, neither of the individuals is centered in the portrait. In fact they seem to be framing the window. For a portrait I find that odd. Generally I assume that the people are supposed to be the central focus. This made me curious as to what the artist’s intentions were, who or what was he/she attempting to make the viewer take notice of and that though made me want to take a better look at the painting.

For me the first thing that comes to mind is the scene out the window, as it holds the central location in the painting. Though it is central, nothing strikes me as outstanding. The open window seems to be more of a locating device and could possibly be used to denote wealth or social standing. The exterior of the building across the way looks to be a well-kept town house. And in a large city, such housing is in no way cheap. Another aspect that signifies a wealthier standing is the size of the apartment in which the people live. The clothing also carries a similar significance. He is wearing a cashmere sweater and nice slacks. She, though I do not actually know what it is, is wearing purple, which was at one point worn by royalty and I still associate with wealth or at least a pompous assumption of superiority.

If you take a closer look at the people, other things jump out as well. Both the man and woman are looking directly at you. And it’s not just a mildly interested look. The woman seems to be saying, “who are you and what do you want?” The man has a look I would describe as amused by his own superiority. With the slightly cocked eyebrow and smirking smile, I feel like he’s mocking me. He’s also a smoker.

A couple of things threw me off though. Like the cat, it’s just sitting there, with no acknowledgement of anything. You don’t even see anything of interest. It seems random to me. Same with the phone and lamp on the floor, I do not see any significance or relevance to anything else in the scene.