Self Portraits

Nearly 60 years later, slightly bowed and slowed down by age but still venturing into the now darker shades of the unknown with Mavis at his side.

This was painted in the same year as his first portrait of Mavis (his wife-to-be) and probably is a companion piece. It shows himself as confident and determined to make his mark as a painter.

Here the face is strongly modelled with broad brush strokes. It is vigorous but a bit self-conscious. Painted when he was at the Slade.

After a series of early studies of his own face Richard didn’t add to this repertoire again except for a couple of oddities. This one shows half his face reflected in a mirror which is very small, perched on his clavichord in the studio. The objects which he has gathered together through his life displayed here are more of a self portrait than this slither of face. In the same mirror image can just be seen the silhouette of Turner by Whistler. Richard was proud to own this.

After his first solo show in 1929 he had strained his eyes with concentrating on detailed drawings and now wore glasses. The treatment of his face is freer and more confident than the self portrait from 1926.