L a - b e a u t é - s a u v e r a - l e - m o n d e ~ D o s t o ï e v s k i

L a - b e a u t é - s a u v e r a - l e - m o n d e  ~  D o s t o ï e v s k i



Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Monsieur le prince - on his/my birthday


Monsieur le prince - acrylic on panel - 12x12 - 2009

This small painting was finished six years ago and has always been one of my personal favorites. Of all the self-portraits, out of twenty years of my painted image got up in all manner of nonsensical costume and extravagant pose, I feel that in many ways this is the closest I've come to portraying something of my real psychology. Unintentionally, of course. Because I never really try to put my inner self into my work. Of course it's there; how could it not be? But it's more obvious to viewers, I think, than it is to the artist himself. And the aspects of my personality on display are usually my silliness and ironic grandiosity. But in this painting even I can recognize the shyness beneath the somewhat severe physiognomy and haughty affectation. There's a vulnerability in the mouth and in the eyes that the stiff pose and decorated surface can't obscure. If I'm able to stand back enough from my own work, my own face, I would say that this painting probably tells the truth of me better than almost any other.






9 comments:

  1. It is you, every brush stroke. You ARE a god, Stephen. In all the versions of you. xoxo and happy dang birthday!

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    1. Thank you, darlin'! ALL three of you - and any others lurking somewhere - are FABulous! xoxo

      And we didn't see enough of you last night.... : (

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  2. And in the spirit of chameleon self-portraiture, may I introduce one of my alternate personalities (the bodice-ripper author, Roxy Soulé) who is also here to wish you a fabulous birthday!

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  3. Oh heck! All the versions of me wish to weigh in on this auspicious day. Happy birthday from the empress!

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  4. Happy Birthday! So grand a portrait and so well captured in spirit. Blessings to you!!

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  5. I just found somebody who looks similar to you and happens to be in old-time-clothes like in your paintings! It is a member of a dancing group in Estonia, a group called Fioretto from Rakvere (a city). For example, in this video, it is the taller woman in green: https://youtu.be/wt4JzgCwbas They danced in the Town Hall Square in Tallinn's Old Town during an event called Keskaja päevad/Medieval Days where I saw her few days ago: https://youtu.be/542M3_Ow4TE

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