It's possible now that small paintings have an advantage over larger works in terms of their ability to shock or disturb. This is partly due to viewer fatigue in a culture where stamenents of any description require amplification to register. The choice to approach a small object, in this case painting, is voluntary and quite distinct from being bombarded at a distance. Painted over a nondescript photographic portrait, the facial disfiguration of its subject triggers an immediate response, one which internalises then meddles with thought like a guilty secret. There's nothing to share here, no cathartic release of tension amongst the crowd or like minded community. Mounted on its small plywood block, the image presents with the documented clarity of otherwise ordinary visual experience. Any residual emotions are taken as evidence for our innermost fears, compassion and humanity. Auction estimate (US $3,000 - $5,000).