loto.

um well.

at first glance, it looked like a kind of concept piece, and i don't think i'm alone in this, i didn't realise the connection to breast cancer until i read the description. of course, maybe if i had a been a tad more intelligent i would have noticed the ribbon, but that brings me neatly to the next point.

the emphasis on the main image is a strong one, and i love it: the idea is original, however, the image you are trying to portray does not strike me immediately as 'BREAST CANCER SUPPORT THING' but more as 'that's really cool.' in reality, i did not even notice the ribbon- there is no emphasis on it at all, and that is (for me) the main point of breast cancer awareness for the less intelligent beings like me, (my point, make your ideas and visions more accessible)

now on to the critique of the actual image.... well. i personally think you did a great job, however, as much as i can see that you wanted to created some sort of striking contrast with the blue eyes, the white flowers and the black background (at least that's what i thought, maybe you were doing something else?), in reality, it is hard to actually detect these contrasts at first glance as they are subtle, and also overwhelmed by the whole 'pinkness' of the image. of course maybe you were not even aiming for that effect, but that's what i thought.

second, third, fourth, whatever point i'm on: the expressions: i read an earlier critique that claimed it looked like one side of the girl was 'dormant' whilst the other was 'alive' (or maybe it was active, i don't know), and i quite like that concept. however, i personally do not see her face as striking the rather extreme contrast between dormancy and life. personally i would have preferred if she had the face of someone who experienced (or is experiencing) suffering, and the fear of death; constantly on the brink of life and death. if you had instilled this emotion within the breast cancer victim, the impact would have been much stronger.

also on the other girl: her expression is a bit like that of a poser- no real emotion behind her smile. i actually have two criticisms on the other girl:
1. her face has no real caring- the face of one helping herself would be strong and brave- protective, resilient, fearful- of death. so many expressions, and none of which i saw in her face, her eyes simply playful. maybe you were going for a different image, but if you were, i think a maternal character would've worked as well- the caring and love that only a motherly character has.
2. you mentioned that whilst other's help the girl, in reality the one who makes the biggest impact is the girl helping herself. as much as that may be true for some people, i believe that is a bit contradictory: the thing you're supporting is a 'HELP BREAT CANCER VICTIMS' campaign. then why would you say she should be helping herself? also going back on this point: a victim receives a lot of support from things like family: emotionally, and from the medical support she receives- if it weren't for them, she would like be dead. the concept of 'breast cancer victim helps herself' is not only very cold, it is wrong.

finally, sharing the wig.. um... i guess, i don't really see the point? a teacher at my school recently returned from breast cancer treatment, and she has never really hid the fact that her hair fell out. sure its about support and all that, but shouldn't a survivor want to tell the world how happy she is that she survived. sure young ones would hate not having hair and all that, but wouldn't want you want to show how overjoyed that girl would be if people really took notice of people suffering, and how big an impact it could have on her life (or death!)

now, i don't want to give people the wrong idea: i actually didn't see much wrong with this piece; at first i thought it was really great and the impact was great, but if you pick it apart then you can find several faults. i do not mean to criticise anyone, i thought the idea was good and it was very original. i only gave 3 stars for vision because of the concept the artist was using: i.e breast cancer campaign support concept piece. i personally thought the image was very special, but maybe the image, for me, didn't follow the concept to have as much an effect it could have done. all in all, i thought it was a marvellous piece, but maybe next time, pay more attention to emotion in your concept? i was just writing a critique! clues in the name! <3