Description

The Modern Sitter, A3 Limited Print

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This GlasGogh Selfies painting reimagines the formal Van Gogh portrait tradition through a sitter who has stepped fully into the modern age. Dressed in a rich blue suit and white neckwear, the figure carries the structure and dignity of a nineteenth-century portrait, but the pose belongs unmistakably to now: phone held out, peace sign raised, expression somewhere between confidence, performance and mild uncertainty.

The painting sits within the GlasGogh Selfies sub-series, where Van Gogh-inspired figures are not replaced by celebrities but are instead given contemporary behaviours. These works ask what would happen if Van Gogh’s sitters were alive in the age of mobile phones, self-image and social media. The answer, in this case, is both funny and strangely believable. The sitter keeps the formality of the old painted portrait while also performing for a digital one.

The bold green ground and deep blue clothing give the piece a strong visual punch, while the exaggerated hand, phone and facial expression bring it into comic territory. The Blue Suit Selfie is about the collision between painted identity and digital identity: the slow, handmade oil portrait meeting the instant image. In true GlasGogh fashion, it treats that collision with humour, colour and affection.