Magzoid Magazine - Luxury Magazine in the Creative Space | Feb 2023

Tereza Barnard
Realism, narrative elements, and abstract features allow viewers to slow down
and observe the hidden layers.
The world is speeding up, and many
things are but a swipe away. However,
some emotions cannot be read in a
split second. With a graduate degree
in psychology, Tereza Barnard (b. 1984) has
learned that hidden but key features take time
to be observed and revealed. Barnard uses
realism, narrative elements, and sometimes
abstract features to allow her viewers to slow
down, observe the hidden layers, and enter the
inner worlds of her sitters and her own. In doing
so, she hopes they will find beauty, inspiration,
and, most notably, a time for themselves to
think. Barnard is a self-taught artist and can
take up to three months to finish a painting as
she extensively observes the microexpressions
of her subjects.
Barnard was a finalist in ModPortrait 2021,
ARC 15th and 16th Salon, and her work has
been presented to the jury at Figurativas 2021.
She received an honourable mention in the
Blue Review Art Prize and has exhibited in
galleries across the UK and the United States,
recently exhibiting with the Royal Society of
British Artists at Mall Galleries.
Barnard’s work is available through Arcadia
Contemporary Gallery in NY.
Tereza Barnard’s paintings of young beauty
queens in beautiful ruffle dresses are not just
a nostalgic look into a world of pageantry,
they are also a deeper exploration of the
complexities of the mother-child relationship.
These paintings are not just representations
of physical beauty but also an examination of
how this beauty is constructed, both by society
and by the mothers who put their children in
these competitions. Barnard uses her mastery
of colour and form to create images that are
both alluring and disquieting, inviting the viewer
to consider the implications of the pageant
world and the pressure placed on both the
children and their mothers.
Through the use of vibrant hues, Barnard
draws the viewer in, seducing them with
the beauty of the dresses and the children
themselves. But as the viewer looks closer, they
begin to notice the subtle hints of manipulation
and control that exist within the paintings. The
forced smiles on the children’s faces and other
elements come together to create a sense of
unease that underlies the outward beauty of
the paintings.
In this way, Barnard’s work serves as a
powerful commentary on the societal expectation
of beauty and the ways in which it is imposed
upon both mothers and children. It invites
the viewer to question the impact that these
expectations have on their relationships and
the lengths to which mothers will go in pursuit
of achieving them. Through her use of striking
imagery and nuanced symbolism, Barnard’s
paintings reveal the beauty pageant world for
what it truly is: a constructed reality that has
real-life consequences.
- feature@magzoid.com
www.magzoid.com February 2023
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