Emily McGardle

Rictus, 2022

Coloured pencil, pencil and pen on paper | Unframed: 50 x 50 cm; Framed: 67 x 67 cm 

‘A rictus smile is a smile that is fixed or frozen. It is an expression that looks unnatural or strange, and is closer to a grimace than a happy grin. A smile is usually fleeting, lasting just a few moments. But when it is captured in a photograph, painting, or drawing, and becomes permanent and petrified onto a face, does this change the interpretation of the smile?’

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