Dear Dr Rahat,

Many congratulations on the successful reception of Beyond the Self. I have not seen any artist presenting self-portraits in such a number and variety recently. In our times, the rise of selfies and social media has led to increased scrutiny of self-portraits. Some may view these as a symptom of narcissism. The case worsens if the artist is a fair-skinned, tasteful lady.

I remember you sharing your experience of how looks and social standing may steal the credit for all the hard work and intellect in the eyes of the envious. Beauty and brains are a lethal combination that can spark insecurity in others.

The first two things the viewer of the collection, Beyond the Self, notices are the attractive personality of the sitter and the skillful hand of the painter. This impression fades away pretty quickly. The second glance makes one realise that the portraits do not do complete justice nor do they fully capture the warmth of your personality. Some works do not even look like representations of the same person. Such incongruity can be........

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