I have been living with John Wonnacott and his pictures for the last couple of days, as a way of celebrating the publication of my book (https://www.lundhumphries.com/products/john-wonnacott).

I have found it an interesting experience, partly because it is such a pleasure to live with pictures and get to know them better, the test of a good picture being how far and in what way it survives prolonged scrutiny – and I can’t help but notice how some people spend a long time in the room figuring out the quality and character of the paint surface, particularly with his largest and most ambitious recent work, Self Portrait with Grünewald and Two Geese, which has layers of complexity in terms of his depiction of the geese, his use of mirrors, and the relationship of sitter to his surroundings.

This is a not very good reproduction:-

This a close-up of his head:-