Craig Millman
It is difficult to tell from the photo, but she may be wearing flesh colored nylon stockings. This seems to be indicated by the texture of her legs, and knowledge of the traditional garb of the skater.
The dress is dappled with white dots, likely sequins. They can be seen on the chiffon-like ruffles of her skirt and in greater number about her upper torso. They form a thin white band about her belly in linked vs with dangling yellow bangles. There also appear to be some yellow decorative elements at the front of her dress, that may be embroidery or yellow stones. It appears as if the outfit is backless or similarly bejeweled. The reflection of light and hint of flesh color along with the line that the burgundy takes along her back supports this.
There is more embroidery visible on the top of the dress which appears to reach about her neck in a burgundy band. This is mirrored in a fabric that binds her hair in a tight ponytail. It is impossible to tell if this fabric connects to the dress or complements the ensemble. She appears to be wearing earrings as is hinted by the dark splotches at the base of her ears. Her skating shoe is white with white laces and gold skates. A splotch of red yellow and blue in the skate armature suggests a shiny, reflective material, likely metal.
Tonya’s hair is restrained tightly from her face, likely to facilitate her skating. We see the dark texture of her roots beneath lighter yellow/gold highlights as lines extending from the widows peak of her forehead to the top of head. Beneath the gather, her hair seems to have a disheveled character as if it is dry or frizzy.
She wears a pained expression of anguish. Her head is turned 3/4s towards the view, gaze directed at the lace of the skate she holds gingerly. Her eyebrows are drawn up while her brow is deeply furrowed. Her forehead is high and flat, her cheeks sallow. The blotchiness of the image highlights the fissures in her pale face. She has light yellow/orange skin. Her eyes are black masklike crevices. No hint of pupil or eyeball is visible. Her eyebrows are yellow black lines upturned in a u shape. Her nose is disfigured in pixilation. Dark red lines map out her nostrils and the lines extending down to her mouth. Her mouth is a think black line, with only her lower lip visible as an equally think red horizontal stroke.
Her chin is drawn back into her neck creating dark folds that highlight the apparent tightness of her face. The area of her cheek below her chin is drawn back as well in a dark L. Her cheekbones are highlighted in a red rouge-like hue that seems unconvincing as healthy glow. It makes her face look even more sallow.
The expression is one of grief or anguish. She holds a lace up from her shoe, right arm extended towards the viewer. The grasp is tentative. The lace almost seems to wrap around the end of her nail. She may have a wring or two on her fingers, it is difficult to tell.
The low wall before her rises up to her chest, probably four feet off the ground. It is white with a light blue texture that recedes into white as the wall projects away from the subject. It very nearly bisects the top and bottom of the image into to two perfect rectangles. Painted on the wall, to the left and below Tonya are slivers of the Olympic symbol, blue and yellow flat linked semicircles.
the Spectators
Spectator One: A woman’s face and right shoulder projects into the upper right corner of the image at a 45 degree angle, her gaze directed at the skaters shoe. The woman has black straight hair cut tightly about her face. She appears Caucasian, of American or European ethnicity. She is likely a judge of the event. Her eyebrows are dark think arcs raised high on her forehead. She wears thick glasses with dark frames. Bold reflections of light in the glasses highlight the darkness of her eyes. Her face is flat and rectangular, her nose thin, the left nostril a dark dot. Her mouth is pursed, the lips gathered tightly together, red lower lip projected below the line of her thin upper lip. Wrinkles are visible in dark lines beneath her mouth. She has an almost haughty look of judgement. We can see the burgundy of the fabric covering her right shoulder. A dark shadow suggests it is a thick fabric, a heavy dress or jacket.
Between Tonya’s skate and the first woman’s face we catch the blurry image of another light skinned woman with straight dark hair. There may be another woman behind her, as is suggested by a pink triangle and the dark outline of a silhouette or opening in the background.
more