Monday, March 06, 2006

One time only

Gratuitous self-portraits.

The earliest self-portraits go back to the time of the Pharaohs in Egypt. Probably even earlier than that. The Cro-Magnon cave paintings sometimes have stencils of the artists' hands. Since they probably didnt have mirrors then, I would submit that those hands were a form of self-portrait.

There has to be some level of conceit in the making of a self-portrait. Or is it insecurity; a fear of just vanishing into oblivion? Of course any artist's work can be considered a mixture of conceit and insecurity, but the self-portrait is another kettle of sandtrout altogether, there's something else other than the paradox of conceit-insecurity. It's the artist trying to capture some lost and fleeting something in the his or her soul. Or it's the artist just saving money--models arent cheap and they need to practice.

Or maybe it's none of those. Maybe they do it because it's fun.


My impression of a grouper fish. Grouper fish like to hang out
with starfish. Because theyre grouper fish. (Mitch Hedberg)




Smaa-a-a-aaash. My tribute to Jack Kirby.



In a reflective mood.

5 comments:

grifter said...

i only hope i will look as badass when i nuke my remaining hair. not!

HeartBreaker said...

i so love the first photo...
it's so cute, you look like "butete"...hehehe

Anonymous said...

i like pic 1 the most, too. it's amazing how the image in the mirror is so sharp and clear while everything in the background is a blur.

for pic 2, is that the pinoy version of a hummer?

for pic 3, naks!

Jego said...

is that the pinoy version of a hummer?

Almost. That's one of the few remaining 'Owner-type' jeeps in Metro Manila. The species is almost extinct due to rising costs of production, the rising costs of fuel, and let's face it, bad design. Im sure one day, our neighbor will put up a sign in front of his house saying 'Owner for sale'.

Anonymous said...

'Owner for sale'

nyahahahaha!