Of Flights and Wonders II 

Mary Jane Ansell created "Of Flights and Wonders II" using oil on canvas. The artwork is dominated by a portrait of a fair-skinned girl wearing a feather headdress. The textures are remarkable, contrasting the softness of her skin and hair against the detailed construction of the feathers and the turquoise band. Here, Ansell engages with the tradition of portraiture but destabilizes it through the introduction of the headdress. This single element functions as a signifier, referencing indigenous cultures but set against the Western portrait style, which raises questions about cultural representation and appropriation. The headdress, meticulously rendered, adds a layer of artifice, challenging fixed meanings. Note how the smooth, almost porcelain finish of her skin contrasts with the wildness of the feathers. This visual dichotomy functions as a site of cultural and philosophical discourse. It is this interplay between the familiar and the foreign that allows "Of Flights and Wonders II" to be continuously re-evaluated.