Self-portrait with Figure
 

This is 16" x 20", oil on canvas, finished January 2008.

This started as a work-in-progress that I posted on the forum here and changed to what it finally became.

I worked on the idea of pushing one of the figures back an one of them forward. I also worked on getting the face in the foreground to be more of an extension of the body i.e. approaching it as I would another limb, but not losing the balance of the physiognomy or the dignity of the character by doing so.

Thomasin,

Somehow I lost track of this post until I remembered today that I hadn't responded. I wonder whether many people saw it.

First of all I have to say you did a tremendous job of pushing back the "figure" in the way I have been struggling to do in several portraits. This looks deceptively easy but it is not. You've handled it so well. Just the hulking presence of it suggests depth and pushes the figure of you forward.

The concept of this comes across strongly--not in the sense that it is "in your face" or simplistic, but because it is so simply stated it becomes not just an attempt to push one figure back and the other forward, but also an idea of what happens psychologically when certain characteristics are brought forward, causing others to be "pushed back." I'm thinking of the Jungian concept of the Shadow.

Thank-you so much Alex. I really appreciate your knowledge of Jungian psychology - you see things in my work that I didn't even know was there, and not at all intentionally put in. Quite apt, really, after what you said about Jung's concept of the shadow.

Here's a wikipedia link to Jung's concept of the shadow for anyone who, like me, would like to me more exact about what it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)

"Self Portrait With Figure" but which one is you?

Beautiful insensitive work here, I am always pleased to see one of your posts.

Clayton

Clayton, thank-you very much. I appreciate you taking the time to comment, and also for being so kind about my work. It is always nice to see post from you too.