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Hooper studied at the Slade, and the Royal Academy. In a late oil self portrait – full of fresh, brilliant colours – Hooper lucidly probes his persona as an ‘amiably reserved man’. In this self portrait, the artist’s sober yet slightly uneasy look captures the sometimes cosily familiar, sometimes disquieting sensation when, momentarily, we come face to face with ourselves in the mirror. Hooper evokes exactly the slightly bowed, vulnerable yet trusting posture of the seated customer. In contrast to both the barber and a customer in the background, Hooper looks out of the picture frame, challenging his mirrored image. The overhanging bulb casts white light on top of his thick, black hair and seeming to frost up the barber’s glasses.
Hooper seems to have suffered from a dichotomy between his Indian and English roots, between elements of staid conservatism and exotic vibrancy – a psychological conflict which he perhaps sought to resolve in his colourful art.
The art historian James Beechey’s commented: ‘By nature amiably reserved, charming and well-mannered, he nevertheless stood out... His art has a ruthlessness not immediately apparent, for he was undeterred by the struggle to reach the right solution.’
Title
Self Portrait, From Drawing Made While Having my Hair Cut
Date
1946
Medium
oil on board
Measurements
H 55.5 x W 42.5 cm
Accession number
PCF61
Acquisition method
acquired by Ruth Borchard as part of the original collection
Work type
Painting