This portrait was inspired by a photograph of my mother in her youth: she was an exceptionally beautiful girl that attracted a lot of attention. Her surroundings though was a provincial town in Northern Greece, just before the second world war: needless to say that, in that environment, no personal life was allowed except for that of a "married" woman. My mother was a free spirit ( a characteristic I have inherited from her). She was though unable to cope with the restrictions of her environment, so she never experienced any personal freedom before her marriage. This portrait is an attempt to capture the restrictions of her environment (black border and "arrows" pointing at her), her "masque of indifference" (as her only defense), and the pain of her soul (depicted as "grasping" and bleeding hands over the border of her life). The Byzantine/ikon technique of using gold has been applied here: the effect is stunning when the painting is placed under slightly "dim" light (as in the Greek Orthodox churches where ikons are lit only with candles).