Since the introduction of social media, there has been more pressure than ever to present an idealized version of ourselves. New York-based artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan explores this phenomenon in his ongoing series of hyperrealistic portraits, titled Mirror. Rendered in a limited grayscale color palette, these paintings depict different women covering their faces with their hands. Except, rather than hiding their features, we are able to see through their hands.
Tsitoghdzyan was inspired to embark on this series after seeing the rise of selfies among young people, particularly younger women. “The filters became so popular that many girls can't imagine posting a selfie unfiltered,” he tells My Modern Met. “The cellphone cameras even have algorithms and recognize the selfie through a filter on your face. The young generation doesn't like camera pictures anymore as they are so used to seeing themselves through their phone.”
This idea of what people filtered and embellished on their faces led Tsitoghdzyan to Mirror. Each of these black and white paintings focuses on the head of an individual, which has been blown up to an extremely large scale of at least 7 feet, and sometimes bigger. Using traditional techniques, Tsitoghdzyan portrays each figure in an idealized way—hiding the texture of their skin, and enhancing their makeup where necessary so they seem naturally perfect. “Covering the face with your hands is the most natural movement we do to hide anything since our childhood, but I still wanted to see the faces through—questioning what we hide and what we share,” he explains.
Scroll down to see more of Tsitoghdzyan's paintings and keep up to date with his latest projects by following the artist on Instagram.
New York-based artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan creates hyperrealistic portraits.
These black and white paintings depict women covering their faces with their hands.
Even though they are covering their faces, we can still see their faces.
This series, titled Mirror, explores what we share and what we hide.
These women are portrayed the way they want to be seen.
Tigran Tsitoghdzyan: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Tigran Tsitoghdzyan.
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