Clio Newton is an American artist based in Zurich, Switzerland. She is known for her large-scale figurative drawings and paintings. Newton uses compressed charcoal, color pencil, and oil paint to depict her subjects, frequently women. Eliciting a sense that her figures "return the gaze", Newton exploits the size and realism of her pieces to invert the subject-viewer relationship. Her detailed investigations of form aim to probe the inner psychological states of her subjects. Frequently set against a monochromatic background or the stark white of paper, her figures are monumental, confident, and self-possessed, but reveal minimal information about their identities.