Self Portrait Sans Self

portrait

36h x 68w

charcoal on poplin

I became fascinated with Ingres' drawings of posing socialites. He spent all his time making a likeness because these people who were paying him well thought that they were attractive. most were wrong but he scrupulously described their faces anyway. Yet the best part of these drawings is not the posers but the posers' fantastic clothes. He drew this fabric with sharp confidence that made me want to take it as a challenge to recreate. It was impossible. Then i learned he was cheating with a camera lucida but by then i had made this drawing. I decided that i would describe the clothes in detail and avoid my features. the fabric was what i was interested in and unlike those french, uppity bitches, i'm no poser.