The subject is pushed towards us by the brilliant background (a nice irony considering the title) which repels our eyes and forces them to her face. The frame formed by the arms and shoulders is blurred and also encourages us to the face which is focused. The lens pulls us towards her as well (probably a long focal length? There’s no evidence of distortion from a wide angle). We are literally in her face. (Or maybe she in ours?) The watermark and just the bit of ear prevent us leaving the right side of the frame and are a clever counter to the larger mass of her right arm. (Painters often use their signature as a balancing, compositional element.)

The muscularity of the shoulders and arms, the tendons of the neck echo the self confidence in the eyes. But there is uncertainty here too: the disarray in the hair, the small shadows around the chin that mitigate the strength of the jaw line, but especially the mouth. The lipstick goes to the very corner on the right side of the mouth promising a smile. On the left it stops short of the corner, constrained, tentative, suggesting a more pursed frame of mind. This ambiguous dialog pulls us in as effectively as the other elements, as we try to decode her character; like a fire whose forms are changing all the time it’s hard not to keep looking, hard to pull away.