You taught ME

"You Taught ME" is a simple and simply excellent photograph.

Firstly, technically there are no minus points - it's clear and crisp and perfectly lit. The colour is so well done that I honestly can't tell if it's a desaturated colour pic or a recoloured b/w but either way it's excellent.

From a composition point of view the use of the strong geometric shapes is intensely interesting - they draw the eye and frame the hearts which are - appropriately enough - centred in the frame.

Now, the meaning - or the impression that the picture gives. The hearts are bright red - the colour or love - and blood, and war. So what does that tell us that the subject has learned? How to fight - and bleed - for love?

There are two hearts, not one, so love - or war - are both options at this point. Luckily we get a clue in the extended title "how to love YOU" but the option of war and blood is still there, part of the colour. If they weren't implied or understood then pink hearts would have done, to symbolise watered-down love like a puppy crush. That's not the love we have here is it?

And drawn on her thigh? Well, again the title suggests much "taught me how to draw hearts". By drawing these? So intimate and yet so open and drawn to be seen by the subject of the picture - for everyone else they are upside down. This is a love - a blood-red love, that only makes sense to the receiver and the artist / creator.

Is this what you intended Kimmie? I may be over-thinking this but actually nothing happens in a photo like this by accident - it just depends on where the inspiration, the feeling of "this is right, this is how it should be" came from. You know the full story behind this picture and we all have to guess at it - and maybe that's half the fun too. What role do we, as viewers and commenters, have in this piece? Are we in there too? Is there a sense in which you allowed us to draw these hearts on you?

I don't often write critiques and sometimes the ones I write seem like tough love, even to me. But this picture? It's excellent. Well done (in every sense) <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s…" width="15" height="15" alt="" data-embed-type="emoticon" data-embed-id="391" title=" (Smile)"/>