"...I’m always intrigued by how artists choose to represent themselves and perpetuate their own personal mythologies. True, a self-portrait at its most basic is a simple likeness. Historically, in fact, artists used self-portraits as a kind of calling card, attesting to their ability to capture a likeness and giving a sense of their capabilities. And, yes, self-portraits are convenient exercises because the model is always available and works for free. But a self-portrait can evoke and reveal much more when taken beyond the bounds of straightforward exercise. ...In Hunter Eddy’s Self-Portrait, a darker set of emotions is explored. The artist positions himself directly in the foreground of the painting, bare-chested and starkly gazing out at the viewer. Self-doubt, uncertainty, and stoicism all seem to reside in his gaze. In much the same way, Dana Levin’s Max and Me shows Levin holding a small child (her firstborn) so close to her face that his head partially blocks our view of the artist, though her distant, somewhat vacant expression is still apparent. [https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-subjects/portrait-figure/what-artists-reveal-with-self-portraits/]