self portrait

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on January 17, 2018 at 6:22pm

Curator’s Comments: 

 

I appreciate these classically orchestrated figure paintings, as there appears to be an underlying Cezanne-like concern for structural geometry.  This self-portrait is no exception, with the rectilinear shapes of other paintings forming an edifice to house the more organic human form.  The notes as the bottom of the painting relay the nature of the piece as an academic pursuit, but I don’t see the figure as green on my monitor.  Is there another working of the portrait that departs from local color, or should I be seeing more expressionistic handling of color here?  One of my first reactions, however, was that the blue cloth in the background takes over too much space in the image.  However, on closer observation I could assert the drapery actually adds an interesting stylistic component, by juxtaposing the trappings of the studio with a picture of the same interior.  The same argument could be made for the Caravaggio studio in progress; the environment lends a contemporary narrative beyond the Old Master copy. As an artist working in a shared studio environment, I enjoy seeing the process as much as the final product.