Keely K. Studios

The character of Fantine, in the story of Les Miserables, brings a surprisingly powerful and emotional impact in the short time she is included. Her’s is a story of total sacrifice and unconditional love. She sacrifices everything that a human can give to a broken world, in order that her daughter may live. The world and the “tigers” in it, take everything from this young, beautiful, hopeful woman and leave her with nothing.

When creating a portrait of her, I chose to create a moment of hope for her. In the musical, she sells her hair, and even herself to become a prostitute to provide for her daughter in revolution era France. We see her, hear her suffer, and our hearts break. And then, as she gives all that she has and slips away, she finds peace as another takes her burden away. The moment in the portrait is how I picture her just before, or perhaps, just after death… catching, for perhaps the first time, a glimpse of hope… up out of the filth, leaving behind her red garments, and being relieved of all suffering…

In case you missed what the project is all about… “This year, I will be undertaking a year-long personal project through the studio. The challenge is to take a portrait every month of a character from a Broadway musical. It’s going to be a great way to try out some new techniques and editing styles, as well as collaborate with new people and local businesses. The goal is not to replicate a scene from the play or film, but to create a unique portrait that represents the character and their story.”