Self Portraits – Looking Down

In the late 1960s, Hurtado began painting self-portraits from the vantage point of the artist looking steeply downward at her own body. In some paintings we see only her feet, knees, and hands; in others we also see her breasts and bare stomach. Hurtado often poignantly incorporated everyday objects—a toy car, ball of string, potted plant, drinking glass—into her compositions. Such works hint at a painting practice faithfully maintained during moments carved out from domestic family life.