Bloody Mary

Red is not always the easiest color to work with, but it plays so well with white that I think the temptation is often to wash out most of the other hues. I like that the artist kept a natural skin tone for the subject, though I wish the image was a little larger, if only to see the details of the face and eyes more clearly.

I love the manipulation of the skirt, where fabric gives way to fluid while maintaining an illusion of being caught mid-spin. The bodice is my least favorite part— something about the edges of it seem off somehow.

The pool on the floor, though, especially at its edge, where it gives the appearance of slowly spreading, is excellent. When taken all in with the asymmetrical collar, the Dracula-esque hair, and the dripping gloves of red— my favorite detail, and the part that draws my eye again and again— I get an overall impression of a blood-hungry monster like Lady Bathory.