109 x 84 cm
Oil and acrylic on canvas, box framed in raw oak.

Leah Mariani’s latest series is titled ‘Contained’ and consists of female figures standing, sitting, crouched or squatting, their whole figures captured within the borders of the canvas.

This series of paintings looks at both the constraint within a confined space representing how women are constrained by societal norms and perceptions, but also the concept of an inner self restraint. These figures are not distraught or concerned by their limited environment, rather calm and self-possessed, alluding to an inner strength and self-restraint.

“There’s a tension between the soft skin tones and the more rigid linear elements which is intensional. I’ve always liked the contrast I originally discovered upon seeing Klimt’s work, between areas of realism and areas of flat pattern. This element is present in nearly all work.”