Artwork
Self-portrait
Self-portrait is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Jan Verkade. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Dutch artist Jan Verkade himself, presenting a self-portrait in which the sitter is also the maker.
The painting depicts the Dutch artist Jan Verkade himself, presenting a self-portrait in which the sitter is also the maker. As a self-portrait, the work belongs to a tradition in which artists use their own likeness as the central subject, turning the canvas into a study of personal identity and self-presentation rather than a record of another person.
By choosing himself as the depicted figure, Verkade emphasizes individual artistic identity, with the canvas serving as both a portrait and a statement of authorship. The genre classification of self-portrait, combined with the explicit depiction of Jan Verkade, anchors the work's meaning in the artist's own image and persona.
The painting's significance lies in this convergence of creator and subject, offering a direct visual statement of the artist's selfhood at the time of its creation in 1892.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on canvas, this self-portrait measures 552 centimeters by 461 centimeters. Jan Verkade depicts himself in a straightforward manner, employing a restrained palette and precise brushwork that emphasize facial detail and anatomical accuracy. The handling of light and shadow reveals a naturalistic rendering characteristic of late nineteenth-century academic portraiture, while the composition remains focused on the sitter’s presence without extraneous narrative elements.
The work is classified as a painting and a portrait, reflecting its formal qualities and stylistic emphasis on realistic representation.
History & Provenance
Jan Verkade's Self-portrait is an oil painting on canvas dated 1892. The work entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it is held and on view. No further details of commission, intermediate ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
Legacy
Jan Verkade's Self-portrait of 1892 has been recognized as an early example of introspective modernist portraiture, influencing subsequent generations of artists who explored self-representation through a blend of personal narrative and stylistic experimentation. The work's presence in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst has ensured its continued scholarly attention, contributing to discussions on Scandinavian Symbolist painting and the evolution of self-portraiture in the late 19th century. Its formal qualities, particularly the nuanced handling of light and texture, have been cited in art historical analyses as a bridge between traditional portrait conventions and the emerging aesthetic concerns of early modernism.
Overview
This oil painting is a self-portrait created by Jan Verkade in 1896. It is now part of the Statens Museum for Kunst collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Johannes Sixtus Gerhardus "Jan" Verkade (18 September 1868 – 19 July 1946), afterwards Willibrord Verkade O.S.B., was a Dutch Post-Impressionist and Christian Symbolist painter.
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