Previous | Next :: A Face to Jezblog : Self Portrait by Jez Coulson : NYC | July 12, 2009, 8:46 pm

Being back in Britain on a Sunday means you can read the British Sunday papers....... sure you should get up early enough to watch the Andrew Mar politics thing as well ....... but thats never going to happen.........

So Im taking a peek through the Sunday Times at lunch time and I come across the arresting image of Albrecht Durer's self portrait on the front of the ST Books section........ he has painted himself as the iconic face of Christ....... this self image actually became the face of Christ for future German artists........ This intriguing image draws me into reading a review of 'A Face To The World : On Self Portraits by Laura Cumming........... the reviewer John Carey..... is full of praise for this seemingly amazing just released new book...... he finishes his review: ' It adds up to the most enjoyable art book I have read in years.'

Thats really a fantastic front page review for the art critic of the Observer Newspaper to receive in the Sunday Times for a review of her new book......... I guess there is no way they can ignore her book ...... Laura Cumming is truly engaged with art and a fantastic highly respected art critic..... and a wonderful person ....... Im sure her book is everything John Carey claims...... Laura is a great friend and I was so excited to see her book is just released and getting these rave reviews...... I should come home to find out what's the big news in Britain a bit more often.

Well..... I really regret I have not done too many self portraits over the years........ I wish I had done more...... especially looking at this.........anyway it seems slightly ridiculous to put up your own quickly snatched photographic self portrait when discussing Laura's book of the self representations by some of the greatest painters that ever lived....... but hey....... here we go anyway.......... hehehehe..........

Cheers Jez XXXXXXXX

PS.....Here is the Sunday Times review but peevingly it has a self portrait by Rembrant at the top not the Durer self-portrait that I mention which appears only in the printed edition.

PPS.......Here is the book on Amazon UK and here on Amazon USA