About this piece.
I suppose there is an element of vanity in having my portrait painted; it was like discovering a secret ambition when Alan approached me to be one of the subjects for his portrait project. I definitely experienced a very big Yes when he asked me. Also knowing Alan so well (he’s my little cousin) and visiting Brussels regularly added an extra dimension to the process.
One of the difficulties is that the sittings took place over a number of months, and the lighting changed quite dramatically between sittings which meant the portrait went through several stages of evolution – it almost felt that it was several portraits sequenced into each other rather than a single snapshot in time.
I am also interested in photography and in the first sitting I documented the process of being painted with a short camera diary – so the process felt very interactive – very much a dialogue, as Alan had titled the series. In fact we discussed the style and mood of the portrait both before and during the process of painting and it was quite exhilarating to see the image take shape on the canvas.
When Alan decided to change the size of my head in the painting to fit the format for the other paintings in the series, I felt that the ’likeness’ was somewhat lost, but I found that didn’t result in disappointment but more curiosity about the whole process. I am fascinated by the idea of identity – we are very attached to our faces as ourselves because in our society we are constantly seeing reflections of ourselves in mirrors – but we never see our faces directly. Once when travelling I didn’t get to see my face for over a week and the entry I made in my diary is as follows “Sat 12th November 1988 - I wonder how my self-image will change as there are no mirrors in Dahab Bedouin village. Did man ever have an image of a separate self until mirrors were invented? Without mirrors you become the mirror through which the world itself is reflected and interpreted – the focal point becomes within you not outside yourself.”
Peter Mitchell 26th April 2009
Portfolio / Dialogues / Peter Mitchell
