My professor wrote about this picture like this: "A portrait that does not allow you to take your eyes off yourself. Imagination brings to mind memories. Spain, Madrid, Prado Gallery and portraits of women by Francisco Goya. However, this time, despite browsing half of the Internet in search of analogies in the portraits of Goya's brush, I did not find a connecting element. Maybe it's the contrast of the dominant black and complexion of the model, maybe her beauty, maybe the general atmosphere. I cannot answer and I will not investigate.
Back to the portrait. The deep black dress cuts off from the background, which is slightly lighter. Despite the pose of the model, looking over the shoulder, the image is completely static. The figure slightly shifted to the left, which is a deviation from the traditional rules of composition. And finally, what Roland Bartes calls a "point" – a barely perceptible flash of an earring, which in my opinion refers to the iconic painting by Vermer van Delft. The portrait is beautiful."
I was moved to hear this, but I wonder if you also have similar associations and if you also like it?