The work First Portrait, created in 2020 by artist Adriana Oliver, is a sculpture that encapsulates her distinctive visual and conceptual approach. Made of hand-painted resin, the sculpture was produced in a limited edition of 60 copies. This work expands Oliver's artistic language beyond painting and screen printing, consolidating her exploration of volume and three-dimensionality.
Following her characteristic minimalism inspired by Pop Art, First Portrait presents a human figure with refined contours and the absence of facial features, a hallmark of Oliver's work. This intentional omission not only emphasizes the universality of the portrait but also invites the viewer to project their own interpretation onto the piece.
The use of resin gives the work a smooth and uniform texture, while the hand-applied paint accentuates the contrasts between different sections of the figure. The soft and neutral colors, characteristic of the artist, reinforce the sense of nostalgia and timelessness that permeates her work.
Through First Portrait, Oliver delves into the representation of identity and the visual perception of the individual. The work challenges the traditional conception of portraiture by stripping it of the details that usually define it, such as eyes, nose, or mouth. This approach turns the sculpture into an object of reflection on how identity is constructed and perceived in a society saturated with images.
Moreover, the three-dimensionality of the piece adds a new dimension to Oliver's artistic exploration, allowing light and shadow to play a fundamental role in the viewer's experience. Depending on the viewing angle, the sculpture acquires different nuances, reinforcing the interaction between the work and its environment.
