trust your dog - he won't say anything

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

Much of Georgia artist Annie Stegg's work has a certain 19th-century sensibility, in which outward composure masks any number of individual fires. I get that sense in this work, "Letters." This young woman's demeanor, her companion dog, even the palette in which she's portrayed are all restrained. Yet, generally speaking, a lady doesn't take her correspondence to a secluded beach unless she wishes to read and write in privacy, and her dog isn't going to ask any questions or make report. Which is another reason why pets make such great confidantes.  Though dogs and other ordinary pets don't appear often in Stegg's work, I seized upon this instance to show how the pup completes the narrative here.
Annie Stegg also creates fantastic works that often have a strong Symbolist feel to them. I'm sure I'm right about the Symbolism after reading this on her website:  "Art is just another way to express an emotion or ideal; a visual method of communication that depicts things that words cannot express and connects people through insight."  Precisely.