Self-Portrait, Hand to Mouth

Coats function as a metaphor for identity in the work of Jacqueline Morreau, perhaps providing insight into the entanglement between clothing and form in Self-Portrait, Hand to Mouth. In some places the outlines of her body merge into and are dominated by those of her coat. Charcoal as a medium contributes to this feeling of heaviness. Thick lines are used to portray her cropped hair, grimacing-smile, and arms. Together, these details confuse societal notions of delicate femininity, while the obstruction of her face by her hand destabilises the artistic trope of woman as a subject. Overall, the work depicts the artist as being slightly off-balance, her life lived rather precariously – 'hand to mouth' – in more than one sense.