Gideon Rubin

Gently tucking a blonde lock behind her ear, the subject of Gideon Rubin’s “Blue Shirt” appears to stare right into the camera. Rendered in thick broad brushstrokes, her petrol blue blouse hangs open, exposing a toned body beneath. Perhaps, as viewers, we should feel an intimacy with her. Yet in typical Rubin-fashion, her face is left blank, creating a distance between ourselves and the subject. Her faceless nature, without eyes for our gazes to meet or an expression to interpret, leave room for viewers to insert their own narrative. In Gideon’s own words, “our response to art – whether a painting, a play or a musical piece – and whether we find it to be successful or effective, depends on how much we can project our own ideas, thoughts and memories onto it.”