Self-portrait 

Editor: Here we have "Self-portrait," an oil painting by Armand Henrion. The face, covered in white makeup and framed by a ruffled collar, creates a striking, almost haunting effect. The subject's eyes are closed. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: What I see here is a fascinating commentary on identity, especially concerning the performative aspects of self. Henrion seems to be asking: who are we behind the masks we wear, and how much of that "true self" is also a construct? Consider the history of the clown. Historically, they've been figures existing outside societal norms. They satirize authority but are also marginalized, forced to exaggerate emotion to survive. Do you see those power dynamics playing out here? Editor: I do, especially when thinking about vulnerability. Closing one's eyes is often seen as an act of surrender, right? Is the artist suggesting vulnerability or maybe even critique? Curator: Precisely! And consider the whiteface: a deliberate obscuring, a layer that simultaneously hides and amplifies. Who gets to wear the mask, and what privileges or oppressions are embedded within that performance? Henrion's technique also pulls us into a kind of dialectic tension. This feels both classical, in its formal composition, but also, subversive, with its painterly texture. Editor: That's a great point about who "gets" to wear the mask! This makes me rethink the role of costume, particularly concerning how society ascribes and accepts constructed identities. I see what you mean; there is more than just what meets the eye. Thank you! Curator: The pleasure is mine. By examining this work through those layers, perhaps we are called to critically question the accepted, and amplify the often unheard voice through these rich historical connections.