ART SCENE Windows of the Soul

The saying ‘the eyes are the windows of the soul’ has been attributed to William Shakespeare. However, the exact origins are unknown and could be accredited to the bible or derived from the Arab world.

Paulo Coelho de Souza, lyricist and novelist, states: “The eyes are the mirror of the soul and reflect everything that seems to be hidden; and, like a mirror, they also reflect the person looking into them.”

Shakespeare suggests that the eyes reflect emotions and fears communicated through the gaze. The eyes will reveal a person’s true nature. Coelho goes one step further to include the viewer, the person looking into the eyes of another.

Chilean artist Paulina X Miranda (P.X. Miranda) captures these moments in the eyes of her portraits. The eyes mesmerise us and draw us in. We wonder who these characters are and what stories they could tell.

Paulina is fascinated by history and historical figures. She uses literature, poetry and music as inspiration for her paintings. She combines these elements to create thoughtfully composed works, giving them a timeless and narrative quality. Medieval tapestry, the Arts & Crafts movement, Renaissance portraiture and William Morris also inform her art.

P.X. Miranda’s oil paintings unapologetically embrace nature and beauty. As Paulina’s artistic skill, vision, and style continue to evolve, her work is formulated into specific series that aspires to seek harmony between certain cultural and natural elements.

To aspire to harmony and beauty in one’s work is a powerful message, celebrated in the various details she includes in her pieces. Her portrait paintings are bold, with a contemporary twist on historical characters. An intensity emanating through the eyes of each painting invites us to explore each subject in her works while being lured into their stories.

Her earliest collection, Los Despiertos (The Awakened), began with an assemblage of notable historical portraiture (primarily, but not exclusively, from the Renaissance and Mannerism periods). With a deep interest in consciousness, Paulina sought to revive these figures through her process, providing them with a new narrative.

Building on this idea, the Los que Saben (Those Who Know) series introduced a symbolic emblem on the chest of her portraits. Placed above the heart, these symbols offer subtext, further unfolding her subjects’ stories.

P.X. Miranda is an acclaimed artist whose works are highly collected and celebrated, and Kellie Miller Arts is the fi rst gallery to represent her works.

Kellie Miller is an artist, curator, critic and gallery owner. www.kelliemillerarts.com

Paulina is fascinated by history and historical figures. She uses literature, poetry and music as inspiration for her paintings

Leonardslee House is where timeless elegance meets nature’s grandeur, nestled in the lush countryside of West Sussex, a mere half an hour’s drive from Gatwick.

By TESS DE KLERK