Welcome to no. 73 in our series Poignant Pics, where our editor, Diana Nicholette Jeon, writes about Justyna Neryng’s image, “Untitled Self-Portrait.”

"Behind every self-portrait, there's an idea I want to convey. A pose, a concept, a quote I want to interpret. But most often than not: this is not about me. It's about curves, it's about light, it's about motion, and emotion. At a certain period, when artists wanted to represent themselves they had to sit and paint and lie and wait. For hours. And during those times they spent in layers and layers of colours, they had to have this whole introspection process... It's got to be. Because it's about expressing something that comes from within. It's about sharing a part of ourselves; a part we'd rather keep secret."

― Lora Kiddo

I found Justyna Neryng in the FRAMES Magazine Facebook group. After looking at her works intermittently for several months, I contacted her and asked to feature this image. 

I'm drawn to the sense of detachment and sadness in this photograph. The messy hair adds to the feeling for me, and the greyed-down, subdued color tones do as well. The lack of a title and statement carries the same ambiguity as the facial expression and adds to the enigma. You sense the image has a backstory, but you are left to make your own. The artist provides no clues.

Neryng mainly works in the genre of portraiture and, more so, self-portraiture. See more of her imagery using the links below; it's accomplished and engaging. 

Bravo Justyna! I always look forward to seeing what you do next.

PS: Huge apologies to Justyna for the time that passed before I got this image out into publication. It's been a trying year with a lot happening, and unfortunately, my work here took a back seat to other obligations.

Artist Bio

Justyna Neryng is a Polish born, self-taught photographic artist, with a background in fashion and painting. She works with analog and digital cameras with a particular interest in portraiture and the human body. She has won several awards and had her work exhibited and recognized by the Royal Photographic Society. She lives and works in the United Kingdom.

More of her work can be found at https://justynaneryng.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/justynaneryng/

Author Bio

Diana Nicholette Jeon is an award-winning artist based in Honolulu, HI, who works primarily with lens-based media. Her work has been seen both internationally and nationally in solo and group exhibitions. Jeon holds an MFA from UMBC.