For over four decades Rod McNicol’s photographic practice has concentrated on portraiture. His approach to the genre is doggedly consistent, with his subjects almost always photographed staring back at the camera against neutral backgrounds. McNicol asks his subjects to pause and stare into the camera as if it is a mirror, with the intention of capturing portraits that function as witnesses to the inescapable passing of time. For this work, the artist turned the camera on himself, the only subject available to him through periods of isolation during COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.
Artist statement: This self-portrait was made in 2020, during Melbourne’s prolonged and very bleak second lockdown. Given my age (74 years) and my chronic respiratory limitations, I was strongly advised by medicos not to leave my old warehouse studio for the duration of this lockdown, with no visitors allowed except for a family member bringing supplies. Working primarily in photographic portraiture meant my choice of sitters was drastically diminished; hence this self-portrait became my sole means of expressing something of these 112 days of solitude.
In spite of this serious curtailment of my art practice, I managed to find solace in re-acquainting myself with 19th-century Russian literature, which provided me with a rich, fertile backdrop throughout this long, imposed period of introspection.
2023
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
