Animals and humans in portraits...

12:00 a.m.

Gazelle, by Maitha Demithan (2018)

Technique: Scanography. Digital print / Measures: 150 x 170 cm

05/04/18 - A beautiful woman, dressed according to Arab traditions, holds a gazelle in her arms. The image was inspired by a poem by H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in which he compares the eyes of the woman he loves with those of a gazelle. The work belongs to Maitha Demithan, who lives in Dubai, and is specially interested in the interaction between animals and people. According to her, it's a two-way relationship, because animals not only bring happiness and friendliness but also respons to the stimulus provided by humans. Demithan depicts, in her portraits, the observations and conclusions she reaches as a result of this interaction.

The technique she uses is known as photographic scan or scanography: an original way of capturing images without the use of a camera. The take is done in a closed space between artist and subject. Demithan places the scanner in such a way that the light source never impacts on the eyes of the subject.

After the scan, she retouches the image, drawing in the presence of the subjects, in this case the woman and the gazelle. "The emotion is present all the time, specially when I draw in front of those posing for me", she explains. Here she confirms the relationship between human and animal, as hands and skin blend and the heads relax.