Self Portrait 1980

John Bratby made this Self Portrait with thick strokes of blue, brown, and fleshy tones that vibrate with life. I imagine him standing before the mirror, layering the paint, wiping it away, adding more, until the man in the mirror is staring back at him. Look at how he’s built up his face with these swipes of green, red, and white. His eyes are intense, framed by spectacles, like he is looking for something. Is he happy with what he sees? There’s this urgency to the painting, to the way the paint is slapped on. It reminds me of Auerbach's portraits, that same need to capture a likeness with a kind of frenzied energy. It's like artists are all having this big conversation across time, riffing off each other's ideas. Bratby's portrait feels raw and honest. Painting for him wasn't just about representation, it was about digging deeper, searching for some kind of truth. Each brushstroke is a question, a feeling, a little piece of himself laid bare on the canvas.