Self Portrait

In this close-up self-portrait, Georgette Chen stares confidently back at you, engaging you in a direct conversation. Her sharp, piercing gaze and slightly raised chin conveys an air of pride and determination, all the more impressive when seen in the context of her personal life at the time. This piece was completed two years after the death of her husband Eugene Chen, and her own internment during the war in Hong Kong and, later, Shanghai. Despite her personal struggles, the Georgette in the painting conveys a sense of conviction and forthright dignity. Faithful to her ideas of portraiture, Chen composed this piece employing a strict economy of means—soft dabs to delineate the contours of her face; a few key colours to differentiate shades. Her facial features are delicately rendered with rosy lips and flushed cheeks, in contrast to more decisive linear strokes that she uses for strong impact. Her finely arched eyebrows, the starched Mandarin collar of her black cheongsam, and carefully coiled bun are in dark black. At the top right of the painting, she signs her surname “Chen”, adopting a Chinese script fashion of a top-down arrangement. She retained this manner of signing as an indication of her Chinese heritage, which can be observed in her clothing as well. Not only is this painting hauntingly real; it also provides some insight into how the artist viewed herself.