Glass Door with Self-Portrait 1987

Avigdor Arikha painted "Glass Door with Self-Portrait" with what looks like oil on canvas. I see the work in terms of process. Arikha layers strokes of colour to construct the forms of the figure and door, with muted tones and a limited palette. The paint isn't overworked, but applied in such a way that it feels like a direct response to the experience of looking. The materiality of the painting draws me in. The texture isn't overly emphasized, but there's a tangible sense of the artist's hand present. Close up you can see the way the brushstrokes build up the surface, creating subtle shifts in light and shadow that animate the figure and door. The brushstrokes around the face, especially the forehead and cheekbones, capture the nuances of skin tone. The treatment of light and shadow gives his face a sense of depth, as though the artist has considered the planes and contours of the face. Arikha’s interest in observational painting can be related to the work of Lucian Freud, another artist who pursued figuration during a time of abstraction.