National Galleries of Scotland

This photograph refers to the myth of Narcissus, the nymph who fell in love with his own reflection. In this photograph, we can see that the figure is gazing at himself in the mirror to the left. He is oblivious to everything but himself, even the pack of 'naked lady' playing cards beside him. Colvin frequently uses myths and stereotypes as a basis for his work and sets the scenes in rooms filled with household clutter, which bring his subjects up-to-date. He creates his image by painting on these objects and photographing the scene. This photograph deals with the themes of male narcissism, the cult of the body beautiful and obsessive self-regard.