« Van Gogh's Subjective Self-Objectification »

Vincent van Gogh, September 5 or 6, 1889, in a letter to his brother:

"They say - and I am very willing to believe it - that it is difficult to know oneself - but it isn't easy to paint oneself either.  So I am working on two self-portraits at the moment - for want of another model."

Indeed, indeed.  Whereas to others, we exist only as objects (no matter how intimately known), to ourselves we exist as both subject and object. 

Question is: who's painting the portrait?  And question is: of whom?  Two sides of the same question, in fact.  The former - from within the mind, the latter - from outside the mind.  Two sides of one and the same question - but one and the same non-answer.

An ego is a concept of self, an informational self-portrait.  As such, any "self" is a self-stereotype, a subjective self-objectification, a model... for want of reality.

Van Gogh, once again, in same letter, on an unrelated note, but quite a propos, to my mind:

"So take things with a pinch of northern phlegm, and look after yourselves, both of you."

We will, we will...