From the Artist: This is the self-portrait of me that my friends seem to love to hate. I happen to love it. I painted it from life, while staring into a mirror, and was trying to copy what I saw. I feel it's as much a reflection of my inner self as outer, as it's intense and contemplative. If this result is what my eyes and hand saw, so be it.
From the Painting Guide: Your friends likely don't see you concentrating so much, don't see this intense side of you other than an occasional or passing glimpse. I think it's a self-portrait with a powerful sense of presence, of someone deep in thought or concentrating on something. They probably don't like the strong colors in your skintones, the red, yellow, and particularly the green. But this is what I think makes the portrait, that sense of a specific individual at a particular time, not some generic person.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: Notice how the face has been place off center, not smack bang in the middle ("fried-egg composition", see 5 Ways to Ruin a Painting). This makes for far more of an interesting composition, not least because your brain fills in the hair going off to the left. It also can be analyzed according to the Rule of Thirds, placing an eye on a thirds "hotspot".
Color: Squint at the painting and you'll see how part of the tone of the brilliant red is surprisingly dark. This is partly why it doesn't totally dominate the composition, but rather works with the dark tone of hair and on the neck to push your eye towards the facial features. It's a great example of how tone is a crucial consideration, not just color (see also The Three Sides to a Paint Color's Personality: Hue, Value, and Chroma).
From the Painting Guide: Your friends likely don't see you concentrating so much, don't see this intense side of you other than an occasional or passing glimpse. I think it's a self-portrait with a powerful sense of presence, of someone deep in thought or concentrating on something. They probably don't like the strong colors in your skintones, the red, yellow, and particularly the green. But this is what I think makes the portrait, that sense of a specific individual at a particular time, not some generic person.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: Notice how the face has been place off center, not smack bang in the middle ("fried-egg composition", see 5 Ways to Ruin a Painting). This makes for far more of an interesting composition, not least because your brain fills in the hair going off to the left. It also can be analyzed according to the Rule of Thirds, placing an eye on a thirds "hotspot".
Color: Squint at the painting and you'll see how part of the tone of the brilliant red is surprisingly dark. This is partly why it doesn't totally dominate the composition, but rather works with the dark tone of hair and on the neck to push your eye towards the facial features. It's a great example of how tone is a crucial consideration, not just color (see also The Three Sides to a Paint Color's Personality: Hue, Value, and Chroma).