Mother of Pearl or Nacre is the inner layer of a mollusc shell consisting of thin calcium carbonate plates and organics. The chemical composition of pearl and nacre is the same. It is a very strong, resilient, but at the same time smooth, iridescent material designed to protect the soft tissues of the mollusc against parasites and other damage. Here, the title itself refers both to the pictorial problem and the symbolic meaning. The glistening of the teeth, the translucency, the wetness inside the mouth seem to resemble the mollusc itself, the glistening of its iridescent nacre in the light. The exploration of light in a painting is a visual problem, which, when studied in practice, creates a certain mood and feeling. The teeth, mouth, tongue, like an intimate and safe place that holds a pearl, a piercing, as something very precious, beautiful, seductive. But just like the inside of a shell, the mouth can conjure up associations that are not entirely pleasant, perhaps a little frightening, maybe even revolting. The pearl as a symbol has many meanings and associations; it symbolises beauty, purity, resilience, femininity. The underlying subject of the painting balances between beauty and repulsiveness, or the way in which beautiful things are born out of experiences that are not entirely pleasant, "in spite of something", under adverse conditions and so on.