The evolution of abstract photography has primarily been driven by the pioneering explorations of individual artists. For this portrait, Orval Hixon used traditional methods to photograph the human form in a way that emphasized its abstract qualities. In this portrait of an unknown subject, we as viewers are invited to appreciate the ambiguity of abstraction. It is only through close observation that one's eye detects a human form standing alone in a dark space. The eye is drawn to a strongly lit profile and then quickly searches the remainder of the photograph for further clues. A right arm is raised above the head and the right arm is extended somewhere out of view. We are only afforded a glance at a slight sliver of a garment. The left foot is extended behind the form in Demi-Pointe position. It is strongly lit by the only other source of light placed just out of frame. Hixon has slightly manipulated this image in several places to create additional interest: the light source at the left, the area surrounding the visible form, and the subject's only visible leg.