Self-portrait 

Curator: Here we have a painting titled "Self-portrait" by Armand Henrion. The medium appears to be oil paint, and you can see a notable impasto effect adding texture. What's your initial take on it? Editor: It’s… unsettling. The white face and exaggerated smile—it gives the impression of forced performance, perhaps a critique of societal expectations to appear happy. Curator: Interesting. Structurally, observe the artist's approach to light. The subtle shading around the eyes and the nose brings a remarkable depth, mitigating the flat, potentially cartoonish effect of the white face. Editor: Indeed. And considering that, broadly, the clown has historically represented marginalized or satirized figures, this image feels imbued with complex, perhaps conflicting commentary. Is the artist implicating himself in these power dynamics? Curator: Potentially. Looking at it from a formalist lens, though, the contrast between the muted background and the stark white of the makeup also does some pretty heavy lifting in drawing your attention to the details of the face. Note especially how Henrion contrasts that surface plane against the round hat on the head. Editor: I agree that the texture adds nuance. But I see the painting within the context of the artist positioning themselves, deliberately, within this historicized and loaded archetype, even as he invites our gaze. Curator: Do you think the slight asymmetry in the subject’s expression furthers that idea of performative identity, an idea you discussed? Editor: Absolutely. It reinforces that this "happy" visage isn’t a natural one, but a construct. Think about the times we are called upon to put on a face—now translate that on to this portrait’s face. Curator: I suppose there’s no easy reading. But I’m struck by how the artist plays with shadow and light, creating almost an otherworldly aura. Editor: Ultimately, it’s a very thought-provoking image that leaves us grappling with the multiple meanings that the artist evokes in this singular depiction of the self.