The perennial question: “To be or not to be,” the introspective looking at one’s life and existence. It rings in ones ear at certain times, and the artist can respond with a self portrait. It is a search for the truth of life, if there is one. Failing that, it can be at least a brutally honest look at my life and mortality. I have always looked closely at artist’s self portraits from the past. It is a curiosity about their condition in life, and how they got on with things. The self portrait can peel away guise and reveal the psyche; no other form is quite as effective in this.