Susanne Tabet’s abstract portraits are deeply intriguing, evoking a sense of mystical feminine power. Susanne began her career working as an abstract artist and has stuck with it ever since – she was drawn to the idea of “supplying questions, not answers” in her paintings, an element of the influence she draws from the Abstract Expressionist movement.
Her paintings do indeed supply just as many questions as answers: she seeks to create vaguely recognizable figures, yet constantly shifting in perspective. Susanne’s choice of subject is particularly relevant in creating this sense of familiarity yet mystique. When selecting her portrait, she is drawn by a particular energy: that of autonomy, strength, and tenacity. However, that doesn’t mean she seeks to depict a perfect, idealized woman. Rather, Susanne is drawn by the strength a woman carries in their everyday life. The women she paints could be a loose acquaintance, a close friend, or just someone she catches a glimpse of on the street: anyone with a strong, self-actualized agenda. She traces some of this inspiration back to her teen years, exploring “glossy, high-fashion magazines” and the women they portrayed. Their allure and sense of power is certainly mirrored in Susanne’s portraits, with their jagged angles and piercing gazes.
Susanne’s approach is highly intuitive, part of her process in which she avoids pre-planning any specific “prescriptive meaning.” The very nature of her process – avoiding any selection of color palette, formal composition, etc. in advance – results in a very “tactile” final piece, where certain elements seem to “interlock” at completion. Similarly, Susanne prefers to work on multiple pieces at any given moment, allowing her the time and space to revisit projects at will with a fresh eye. In returning to ongoing works, she finds that is exactly the moment where the final touch comes to her, whether that be her distinctive tones of blue and indigo, a certain highlight, or another geometric shape. Regardless of where the process leads her, Susanne’s talent shines through in her paintings, just as the sense of female empowerment shines through.