Yesterday’s portrait (Self Portrait in Three Quarters) was the inspiration for today’s. I separated the two planes of my face by rendering the part in shadow as a deep blue and the other in flesh tones. The Cubists broke up the structural space of their compositions with line and plane, but also with color (Jawlensky and the Serial Image […]
Another self portrait influenced by Alexej Jawlensky. This time, I used a 3/4 view of my face and, with my limited understanding of cubistic division of space, decided to paint the shadow in a flat, dark blue. The result is two portraits: the painting as a whole, a 3/4 view; and the silhouette of the […]
I continue with my self portrait series in this post. In yesterday’s Big Self Portrait, I was trying to illuminate my face from the bottom. Somehow the halloweenish grotesqueness of eerie shadows eluded me, but my main goal in that sketch was to use the entire page. Today’s self portrait reigns-in the size a bit (at […]
I got a few books out of the library about Alexej Jawlensky. I love his abstract portraits. One aspect of his work that interested me quite a bit was its repetitive nature. He developed his vision from more representational to abstract. Among his portraits are several series ‘Constructivist Heads’ , ‘Meditations’, ‘Variations’. The major elements of […]
I do believe that a self portrait, in addition to being a representation of one’s likeness, contains a visual narrative about one’s relationship with one’s self. It is a time capsule that says captures the person’s identity. As with family snapshots, it is worthwhile now and then to revisit one’s self portraits. Below is a favorite of mine. […]
I dream in vivid images. They are very detailed when I am dreaming them, less so after I awake. Last night’s dream was a situation. I had died, which was a bit uncomfortable, but alive in another body, still my own. I felt very alive, but aware that one day I would have to go […]
What is a portrait? A short definition given me by my computer: A painting, drawing, engraving or photograph of a person; a representation or impression of someone in language or film. Fair enough, as far as it goes. A photograph is not only a representation of the person photographed, but a representation of the relationship […]
Today I revisited self portraiture (see previous Self Portrait). I need practice drawing people and, since I have full access to myself at any time, I gave it another whirl. I think I’m pretty much on the mark, except Joy says my eyes aren’t exactly right. In keeping with the other theme of the past couple […]
My brother Michael is autistic, low functioning and has never spoken. I have precious few clues about whether he knows we are brothers or even if he recognizes me as an individual. Mike is ‘the other’, unknown and unknowable. Since we share the same DNA as our parents, the thought occurred to me that I might […]
My other post today (Self Portrait – Phototherapy) is a self portrait in the style of Jo Spence and Rosy Martin (as I understand their concept). I merged my phototherapy portrait with that of my brother Mike. Mike is older, autistic, low functioning, nonverbal, with eyes that do not normally line up. Here are the […]
