Alter ego

Oil painting, 73x60cm, 2024 Paris

Alter Ego 

Alter Ego is an oil painting that explores the theme of the double, reflection and introspection through two identical "sad monsters", facing each other in intimate proximity. The two characters, in profile and so close that their noses touch, almost form a single entity, as if each were the mirror of the other. Their posture, marked by delicacy, reinforces this symbiosis: one hand rests on the shoulder of the other, while the other hand is placed on the double's torso, palm turned outwards in a gentle and protective gesture.

Although the two "sad monsters" appear identical, the work introduces a subtle difference through the background. Behind the character on the left, a red circle, symbolizing a planet or the sun high in the sky, illuminates the background. On the other hand, behind the one on the right, the sun is lower, close to the horizon, evoking a different temporality. This opposition suggests a play of contrasts between distinct moments of the day or life, sunrise and sunset, the beginning and end of a cycle. 

Alter Ego invites us to reflect on the duality of the self, the relationship we have with our own reflection or alter ego, and the nuances of identity that are revealed in these moments of intimate connection. The perfect symmetry of the characters, broken only by the solar cycle in the background, symbolises the delicate balance between opposing forces: day and night, introspection and action, union and separation. The work thus raises the question of whether we are truly identical to our own reflection, or whether, even in perfect symmetry, fundamental differences remain.