A series of coincidences brought Martina Rall to explore and re-think the inherent nature of her work and provides a practical meaning to the American poet William Carlos Williams' quote: “The artist is always and forever painting only one thing: a self-portrait.” In 2009, she started her mixed media series “Being Marilyn Monroe”: Icon-Portraits, portraying herself an inspiring modern-day icon such as Marilyn Monroe, Frida Kahlo, Audrey Hepburn, Maria Callas, Romy Schneider, Michael Jackson and Grace Kelly.
According to Martina Rall, "the creation of 'The Colors of Maria Callas' had something very magic", as the artist originally choose the colors of the work by following her own inspiration, only to discover later on after reading Callas' biography, that the colors in her portrait, red and turquoise, have actually been the opera singer's favorite colors.
In her work on Maria Callas, Martina Rall has immortalized the iconic opera singer: “Maria Callas lived exclusively for the opera until she met Aristotle Onassis. From that moment on, Maria the singer became Maria the woman. Her love was true, absolute and passionate, like her performance in art.”
The Colors of Maria Callas, 2016, Mixed Media: Photo, Paint, Typography, Digital.