From the Artist: I had found a number of black-and-white photos I took as a child on a family vacation to Los Angeles, over 50 years ago. The photos brought back memories of the trip when led to a reflection of my life at the time when I was 11. And, I guess you'd say, it brought an examination of where my life had been and where it was presently.
All of the objects in the painting have special meaning to me, the obvious ones being the paint tubes and brushes, representative of where I am today. The hideous vase had been in my family, for some unknown reasons, and I found it among my mother's effects after she passed away. In the framed photo my mother appears just on the left edge, clutching her purse and standing protectively over her young son.
The white vase represents an idealism which I've had throughout my life. The red fabric represents the chaotic times I've had in my life. Although not expressive in the sense of German Expressionism, the painting expresses a multitude of emotions to me.
From the Painting Guide: I would've used the word "hideous" with the white vase too, not just the blue one ... it's the type of still-life object I remember from art classes, where every week you desperately hoped the tutor wouldn't bring it out the cupboard because getting the ellipses accurate was hideous.
I know some people may say this isn't a self-portrait, but I think that would be the case if your concept of a portrait was that it had to be a realistic likeness (and one of what the person looked like when the painting was created). This is a portrait of part of your life, and that's as valid as any portrait (and a lot more interesting than many!).
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Symbolism: If you hadn't read Rene's explanation of why the various elements were included in this painting, I think you'd still get a sense of a story from it. The tubes of paint and brushes allude to the artist, but would it be the one who created the painting or the person in the photo? And the blue vase is such a 'distinctive' piece that it could only have been included for some story associated with it, not for its beauty.
Shadow: I'm going to be picky about the shadows and ask how, if the vase's shadow falls to the right, can the picture frame have a shadow above it?
All of the objects in the painting have special meaning to me, the obvious ones being the paint tubes and brushes, representative of where I am today. The hideous vase had been in my family, for some unknown reasons, and I found it among my mother's effects after she passed away. In the framed photo my mother appears just on the left edge, clutching her purse and standing protectively over her young son.
The white vase represents an idealism which I've had throughout my life. The red fabric represents the chaotic times I've had in my life. Although not expressive in the sense of German Expressionism, the painting expresses a multitude of emotions to me.
From the Painting Guide: I would've used the word "hideous" with the white vase too, not just the blue one ... it's the type of still-life object I remember from art classes, where every week you desperately hoped the tutor wouldn't bring it out the cupboard because getting the ellipses accurate was hideous.
I know some people may say this isn't a self-portrait, but I think that would be the case if your concept of a portrait was that it had to be a realistic likeness (and one of what the person looked like when the painting was created). This is a portrait of part of your life, and that's as valid as any portrait (and a lot more interesting than many!).
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Symbolism: If you hadn't read Rene's explanation of why the various elements were included in this painting, I think you'd still get a sense of a story from it. The tubes of paint and brushes allude to the artist, but would it be the one who created the painting or the person in the photo? And the blue vase is such a 'distinctive' piece that it could only have been included for some story associated with it, not for its beauty.
Shadow: I'm going to be picky about the shadows and ask how, if the vase's shadow falls to the right, can the picture frame have a shadow above it?