Deviation From Social Norms (2023)

Deviation From Social Norms (2023) is a study of isolation, subtle rebellion, and self-containment in the modern world. Through delicate natural light and coded symbolism, Georgina M. Cox explores how solitude itself becomes a quiet act of resistance in an age of constant visibility.

⤷ When I painted Deviation From Social Norms, I wanted to capture the kind of stillness that feels almost suspicious today; the kind that makes people wonder why you’ve gone quiet. The title borrows from psychological terminology used to define “abnormal” behaviour, and that irony underpins the whole piece. It asks: what if peace, privacy, or introspection are now the real deviations?

The figure sits in a sun-washed room, face hidden behind The Social Work Handbook — a deliberate choice. The title isn’t random: it points to the frameworks through which society categorises behaviour and normalcy. She reads a manual about understanding others, yet isolates herself from them; she studies conformity while quietly opting out of it.

Every detail in the composition extends that tension, some details including:

• The sign outside the window reads “Caution: The Outside World” — a tongue-in-cheek warning that turns everyday reality into something faintly menacing. It symbolises the exhaustion that comes from engagement — a boundary drawn not in fear, but in self-preservation.

• The cat on the windowsill isn’t ceramic at all, but alive — frozen mid-watch, its silhouette echoing the figure’s posture. It embodies instinctive independence, the kind of quiet autonomy we often misinterpret as detachment.

• The phone on the desk glows with an unread notification. It’s the modern equivalent of a knock at the door — a soft reminder of the world’s constant reach. Yet she ignores it, opting for the tactile weight of the book over the pull of the screen.

The palette is intentionally gentle with muted whites, earth tones, and soft green from the landscape outside — but the light carries emotional density. It’s a secular version of Baroque illumination: revelation not through faith, but through self-awareness. The sunlight becomes a metaphor for consciousness itself, touching what’s real and leaving the rest in deliberate shadow.

In many ways, Deviation From Social Norms is a portrait of withdrawal as strength. It challenges the cultural obsession with productivity, connection, and constant engagement. The figure doesn’t reject society; she simply redefines her relationship to it. Her act of reading becomes a form of quiet resistance; her stillness, a protest against overstimulation.

Ultimately, the work suggests that deviation doesn’t have to mean dysfunction. Sometimes it’s just another word for autonomy — the decision to exist on your own terms, even when the world outside calls it strange.