"12 Shoes for 12 Lovers" by Sebastian Errazuriz features twelve different high heels modeled after the personalities of Errazuriz's twelve ex-lovers. Accompanying each sculpture was a short anecdote depicting a vivid memory the artist had with each woman, some were beautifully written while others were slightly harsher. In addition to that, there was a photo of a nude woman that went along with each anecdote, each one in a different scene or position. The collection was an exquisite twist on the average thoughts of ex-lovers and the artist's display of openness and vulnerability into his intimate life lead to this unique and successful masterpiece. This art piece is a perfect example of a visual text because the textures, colors, symbols, and perspectives of each heel gives different observers a variety of interpretations. Each shoe adds character and meaning to the story that words could not explain. Although each ex-lover seems to be crazier than the last, the elaborate and extravagant art collection is just an allusion to distract from the most complicated puzzle of them all. The artist, Sebastian Errazuriz, created "12 Shoes for 12 Lovers" to document his journey to self-love through the various women who held his company.

The first shoe was called "Honey" and was based off of a woman named Natasha. Upon first inspection, the entire shoe is made of bright yellow honeycomb. It gives the initial impression of perfection, something that is almost too perfect. It also projects fragileness because of its porous holes and one may assume that it could be easily broken, especially if used for its intended purpose as a shoe. These assumptions make even more sense after reading the anecdote that went along with this shoe, depicting a relationship that ended because the artist could never get used to a woman who was nicer to him than he was to himself nor could he accept the fact that someone genuinely cared about him. 

The second shoe was named "Cry Baby", representing a woman named Alexandra. The artist tells the story of a girl named Alexandra leaving her boyfriend and finding her way into his bed crying, only to go back to her boyfriend immediately afterwards. The shoe is completely white and has liquid droplets splashing upwards. My immediate thought was that the shoe was a visual imitation of the famous saying "don't cry over spilt milk", however, it could also symbolize tears. One may wonder how the artist could have been such a fool to have not seen that coming, but in reality he new exactly what Alexandra's intentions were, he just needed to feel needed, even for a brief moment. 

Caroline, the "Hot Bitch", was the muse for shoe number six. She was wild and all over the place, always cheated in relationships, and craved being the center of attention. This shoe was bright red like the crazy fireball she was and had some sort of liquid oozing down the sides possibly to indicate what a mess she was. The shoe itself catches your eye and makes a bold statement, kind of like the girl herself. The artist secretly admired Caroline's reckless character, the type that is impossible to forget, and a girl like that is an extreme ego-booster to any man she encounters.

The ninth shoe was modeled after Rachel, "The Boss." At first glance the entire shoe is black and gives the immediate impression of professionalism and power. When looking at the art piece further, it is evident that the heel is shaped into a spike and the underside of the shoe possesses brass knuckles, which shows that Rachel was a strong, powerful woman who could inflict a lot of pain. These assumptions are further proved from the anecdote depicting her as a crazy, bi-polar feminist and although the relationship did not work out, Rachel instilled the desire for strength and power within the artist, which is no surprise considering confident women who know what they want tend to inspire men.

Shoe number eleven was created in memory of Valentina, "The Ghost." Made entirely from wire, this shoe is transparent, apart from its frame. It gives the illusion of a woman full of mystery and allure, but never around either physically, mentally or both. The shoe fits perfectly with Errazuriz's story of a young woman with crazy hair who blew in and out of his room one summer, but never really stayed. Her mystery may have won his attention, but the message she embodies, such as cherishing the moment and living in the present, made a much bigger impact on the young artist.

The final and twelfth shoe was named "The Rock" after the artist's true love, Alice. The entire shoe is black and designed to look like cooled magma, or igneous rock. Immediately upon observation, the viewer can conclude that this shoe is different from the other eleven, being the only shoe giving a decent amount of support to the foot when used for its true purpose, an actual functioning shoe. Another important observation was the artist's choice of rock. Igneous rock is made of cooled volcanic magma which could be symbolic for a hot, fiery love that fizzled out and died over time. The anecdote that went along with this shoe did not give much insight into the relationship or why it ended, only that the artist truly loved this woman and most likely always will. For making such a giant impact on the artist, nothing major is revealed about this woman. One is only left to assume that Alice possibly taught Errazuriz to stand on his own two feet and finally love himself. Or maybe Alice was "the one", but Errazuriz could not completely love her until fully loving himself and continued his journey, bound to cross paths with Alice again sometime in the future.

"12 Shoes for 12 Lovers" by Sebastian Errazuriz was the perfect example of a visual text. It encompassed the meaning and personalities of Errazuriz's various lovers simply through texture, colors, form, symbols, and perspectives. Each shoe communicated a message or impression with the viewer that would not be as easily perceived through written words. The anecdotes that went along with each shoe helped to verify the viewer's thoughts on each piece, but the shoe itself told the story. The true meaning of this art series, however, does not exactly meet the eye. Errazuriz spent so much time and effort into creating the illusion that his work was completely honest and open, even going so far as to provide intimate details and show nude photographs of women to truly give viewers the feeling of vulnerability. The whole time he was hiding the truth. Errazuriz was unable of holding a lasting intimate relationship with a woman due to the fact that he had to find himself first and indulge in self-love. Each one of his ex-lovers were wildly different and each one served as a teacher of a new life lesson for the artist. His sculptures were meant to document his journey to finding himself and each shoe embodies the lesson from each woman who made him into the person he is today.

