Self-Portrait

It is said that the eyes are the windows into the soul - and with this captivating self-portrait, 7-year-old Ella Sofia Holden seems to be welcoming the viewer to delve into all that lies behind them.

Of course, we love anything that reminds us of the late, legendary Margaret Keane, she of the beloved of "big eyes" paintings. Yet while there was a kind of intentional blankness to the stare of her subjects, Ms. Holden instead leaves us to ponder just what she is feeling; she looks slightly perplexed, but also possibly on the verge of cracking a smile? What could be going on here??

Yet we're most fascinated by the "netting" of black lines drawn through her otherwise auburn hair, suggesting something a little chaotic might be taking up her thoughts. As with so many of the greatest self-portraits, she is giving us little emotional hints, and encouraging us to draw our own conclusions from there.