Approaching painting as a platform for fiction, Bernhardt�s imagined characters are richly contrived portraits encapsulating both the vacuity of media image and the unpredictable response of consumer over-identification. Rendered with the fury of both adulation and envy, Bernhardt�s models emerge as freakish inventions � all Max Factor raccoon eyes, emaciated limbs, and swollen red pouts; troubled beauties relishing both idolisation and abuse.