Luminous Dark occupies a central place in Fontaine-Wolf’s artistic practice of exploring female self-representation. Using her own body as a starting point, she deliberately avoids a conventional depiction of individual identity. The abstracted, headless body does not refer to personal characteristics but instead opens up universal questions of feminine representation. This depersonalization is a direct critique of a patriarchal art history in which the female nude has traditionally been defined by the male gaze. Fontaine-Wolf counters this gaze through a subversive reinterpretation that relies on fragmentation, distortion, and layering.

A crucial element of the work is the use of digital media. Through the deliberate fusion of painting, photography, and digital processing, Fontaine-Wolf addresses the increasing blurring of digital and physical realities—a shift accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which digital forms of self-representation gained new prominence. By employing hybrid techniques, the artist preserves both digital and analog traces of her creative process. In a close-up detail of the work (photo lower right), for instance, visible stains testify to the manual aspect of the painting process, adding material depth to the piece.