Self Portraits 1985

Catherine Murphy created this painting of herself, likely in her studio, with oils on canvas. I'm thinking about the doubled-over self here, the nude seated figure painting himself again in the mirror, while a third depiction of herself stands at the easel behind him, painting. It’s painting inception. I wonder what it might have been like for Murphy to create this – the hours of focused looking, the mixing of colors, the building up of layers to capture the nuances of light and form and feeling and time. Her work reminds me of other painters like Fairfield Porter, who painted interiors and domestic scenes with a similar attention to detail and psychological depth. They're all in conversation, these painters, inspiring each other. This piece embodies the ongoing exchange of ideas that runs through art history, a testament to the power of painting as a form of embodied expression. In the end, it embraces uncertainty, inviting multiple interpretations.