Heidi Yardley Ritual Analysis

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Heidi Yardley’s Ritual (2008) depicts a young woman lying face down on a table in a dark room, her long hair concealing her face and her hands curled up to meet her. The visual narrative of this work is unsettling and leaves the viewer with a sense of unease and vulnerability long after they have finished looking at it, due to the subtly ominous undertones. The artwork utilises the elements of colour, shape, space and light working together in tandem to present the viewer with an overwhelming sense of emptiness and a crushing feeling of closeness to that emptiness as the woman in the painting almost falls out of frame into the viewer’s world.
This artwork presents itself at an unintimidating 55.0 x 50.0 cm; however it sparks a sense of urgency within the viewer, demanding they pay attention to this woman and encouraging them to walk around her and inquire about her welfare. Yardley’s use of …show more content…

However, there is no highlight on her clothes, and there is no light under the table. These negative spaces swallow the light, and are what makes the work so unsettling. Every child at some point is afraid of what is under the bed, but as one grows those fears change. The one thing that doesn’t change is how that fear, shrouded in darkness, makes us feel like we may be consumed by the feeling of despair and emptiness. The woman’s hair is falling out of frame, bringing her into our world. This forces the audience to become incredibly close to their own fears as they can almost imagine themselves as the girl on the table.
This artwork is unsettling and leaves the viewer feeling empty and incredibly close to that emptiness. The visual elements of colour, shape, space, and light working together to push these feeling forward into the light. This revelation means viewer realises that they must confront their darkness or be consumed by

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