Go to Sveva Caetani's portrait and study her hands. What
similarities do you see between her photograph and the painting?

MINIFICATION An image-development strategy used to decrease the apparent size of an image. The contrast between the large female figure and the tiny man expresses the artist's idea that the evil is not a omnimpotent force greater than ourselves--a force that is more powerful than ourselves. But rather, evil in in reality that miniscule, insipid character within our own mind. Perhaps the greedy selfish thought, the indifference, the envy, and the desire to harm.

SYMBOLISM  A sign or object that stands for or suggests something else because of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance. The tiny Homunculus knees on a red cross. The cross is often a symbol for cruxifiction and the red for blood. The blood may be symbolic for the spirit of Christ. The cave which surround the woman may symolize our inner cave, or unconscious mind. Artists often use universal symbols such as the cross. They also use colour that have symbolic meaning--red for passion, blue for royality, green for prosperity and yellow for hope. The meaning of symbols gets lost and must be reestablished within a culture.

PATTERN  A principle of design concerned with repitition in a work of art of one or more elements on a planned grid. The pattern in the Sveva's painting is more organic than geometric. The patterns can be seen in the rocks and colours. Often pattern is used for decorative paintings.