Self Portrait in a Mirror is both a literal self-portrait and a self-portrait through objects. The artist’s body looms behind a skull, a plate, a rose, a book, and a plant. These objects act as memento mori (Latin for “remember that you have to die”), an artistic trope with origins in antiquity. Reflecting on death forces new meaning onto the present moment.

Because the surface of the painting is an implied mirror, the viewer’s position is displaced by the objects in the reflection. In his iconic portrait of the Spanish court, Las Meninas, Velazquez uses the same effect to replace the observer with the King and Queen of Spain. Here, the viewer is instead the body of the artist, the face of the skull, fragments of a plant, and a rose. These are presented on a plate as though for consumption. The still life is again reflected on the table — a reflection within a reflection. The painting was composed using a tinted mirror, a tool with a long history of use by artists, aesthetes, and occultists.

Sara Sisun is a figurative artist based in Boulder, Colorado. She has an extensive background in classical technique, having studied nationally as well as in Spain, France, the UK, and Italy. She combines a classical approach with training in contemporary art and art history. Sara currently teaches as a Head and Assistant Professor in the Department of Foundations & Fine Art at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.