In Morimura’s Portrait, the contrast in color has been reduced, the bright whites and creams have been replaced by Morimura’s darker skin tone and a golden kimono draped across the bed. Morimura inserts himself into the composition as both Olympia and her African maidservant, taking their places and assuming their identities’. The darker tones of Morimura’s skin and the bed-coverings, along with the maidservant’s pink dress and the deepened tones of the patterning on the walls produce an overall dimmer image.
