Self Portrait with Beret 1972

Frank Mason's painted this self-portrait with oil, showing himself staring right at us, his hand held to his chest. I wonder what it was like for Mason to paint this? It's a pretty classical pose, but his gaze seems to be saying, "What do you want?" There are dark strokes looping above his head to define a beret and the same tonal shades pull around his neck like a scarf. But, there is also this pop of scarlet in the jacket. Thick, creamy paint comes alive in the light, catching our eyes and making us focus on the physicality of the medium. He seems to have been influenced by Rembrandt. It's like he's in conversation with painters of the past. And that's the thing about painting, it's an ongoing conversation. Each artist contributes their voice, their way of seeing, and it all adds to the richness of the art. Painting is all about expression. There is no right or wrong answer. It is an embrace of uncertainty, of multiple meanings.