I was struck by the depth of her hue. The flawless, velvet nature of her skin commanded my attention. There was something evocative about this image. For me, it captured the essence of beauty, majesty, stillness and groundedness.
I came across Viviane Sassen's photograph, Viola, on an Instagram feed. Compelled by the visual, I returned the next day. What I couldn't have anticipated was one of the reactions towards the picture.
The commenter was upset that such an image was chosen since it depicted the "intractable state of poverty and despair" of Black people.
Granted, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion of art. The fact that this individual felt no resonance isn't an issue. However, what is curious is the conviction with which this person decided who this woman was. The presumed story of the woman's circumstances was based on extremely limited information.
(And furthermore, even if this person was accurate with their assumption, does that make this woman undeserving of a portrait?)
Now, my point is not to judge the person who made those comments, but rather to point out the behavior so many of us display.
The photograph is fairly neutral. All we see is the back of a Black woman crouching or sitting upon on the earth. She wears a traditional head wrap and a floral dress. That's it.
We don't know if she's smiling or crying. Whether her eyes are open or closed. We don't know if she's performing a task or deep in prayer or simply posing.
The only certainty is the bias we bring.
We often walk through the world clinging to our mental constructs of what we already think that world is. We assign what we encounter to these constructs by discarding the pieces that don't fit, or convenient filling in details with our imagination.
We call our constructs truth when they are nothing more than filters we choose to wear. And the more filters we wear, the less of the picture we are able to see.
When the identity activist and beauty entrepreneur, Jodie Patterson, curated this image for her feed, she asked the question, "Do we ever really see the entire woman?" Provocative inquiry considering how things unfolded.
I would have to answer only if we care to look through eyes of love.
Love is unfiltered and able to see the totality of a thing including its divinity-especially, its divinity. Our filters separate us from the vantage of unconditional love. They accumulate layer upon layer until they form a mental sieve through which only distortion can slip. This is the space in which judgment lives.
As I move through this world cultivating a deeper sense of presence and authenticity, I am reminded that becoming more of myself requires the shedding of these layers.
Whether I am observing a faceless photograph, or dealing with some personal circumstance, I need to remember to look through the most loving eyes possible. Only with that intentional gaze can I see the entirety in its Divine truth.
Untouched. Unconditional. Unfiltered.
Follow Jodie Patterson on IG: @JodiePatterson and Twitter @jodie_GeorgiaNY.
Follow Emelia Sam on IG, Periscope, and Twitter @EmeliaSam