The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self

This thesis, The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self, documents my journey in understanding the self through the act of oil-painted self-portraiture. Through an exploration of eye contact, body language, non-performative representations of self, and the tension between engagement and detachment, this body of work examines the complexities of visibility, agency, and self-perception. Using my own body as both subject and metaphor, I investigate the interplay between revealing and withholding, questioning the boundaries between what is seen and what remains obscured. Blending classical figure painting techniques with abstracted elements, my work engages in a dialogue between tradition and experimentation. The inclusion of companion pieces alongside individual portraits creates shifting narratives that evolve with viewer engagement. These paintings exist within a space of vulnerability, reflecting my evolving relationship with self-representation. By treating painting as both a communicative act and a site of introspection, The Space Between: Engaging and Withholding the Self serves as a record of my artistic development and a broader meditation on selfhood. Through this process, I have confronted my own notions of the self, agency, and perception, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship to self-representation and the tensions of visibility.