Painting description

In the painting we see the figure of a woman with flame-red hair standing next to a small, surreal dog. The background is dark, almost black, which makes the figure and the dog seem to leap out of the canvas. The floor is intensely red, as if carpeted in an abstracted theater. The woman is wearing a simple white dress, which contrasts with the dark background and emphasizes her striking silhouette. The dog looks like a toy, with square legs and a comically long tail. It looks as if the dog knows a great secret. The mood of the painting is somewhat melancholic, mysterious. The artist used oil paint, which gives it depth and texture, and the way the figure and the dog are portrayed calls to mind elements of surrealism. The painting evokes mixed emotions—perhaps unease, perhaps fascination. We wonder, what is the woman thinking? What is she doing in this strange world? There is something magical in this scene, something intriguing that makes you stop and think. Wow, that dog is so funny! Sometimes it seems that paintings like this have their own secrets to uncover. *Mysterious*—that word fits perfectly with what we feel when looking at this work.