Artwork
Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait is an oil painting by the Realist artist Johan Georg Schwartze. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
The composition is tightly framed on the artist's likeness, emphasizing anatomical accuracy and psychological presence.
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas. Schwartze applied oil pigments to a stretched canvas support, building up layered brushwork that delineates facial features with fine linear precision and subtle chiaroscuro. The composition is tightly framed on the artist's likeness, emphasizing anatomical accuracy and psychological presence.
The surface exhibits a smooth handling of paint, while the overall tonal harmony and restrained palette reflect the academic realist style characteristic of 19th-century Dutch portraiture.
History & Provenance
Self-Portrait is an 1869 oil painting by Johan Georg Schwartze depicting himself. It measures 78.6 cm by 58.3 cm and falls within the portrait genre. The work has been part of the Rijksmuseum's collection since its creation and remains on display there.
Overview
Johan Georg Schwartze’s self‑portrait, executed in oil on canvas in 1869, presents the artist at mid‑life. The work resides in the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the realist approach of the period, emphasizing truthful representation over idealisation.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas features Schwartze himself, rendered with a solemn expression. He is dressed in a dark coat with a crisp white collar, his greying hair and moustache signalling age and experience. The plain, dark backdrop isolates the figure, focusing attention on his visage and suggesting a contemplation of personal identity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Georg Schwartze (20 October 1814 – 28 August 1874) was a painter from the Northern Netherlands who grew up in Philadelphia and was trained in Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorf school.
Portrait of Thérèse Schwartze (1851-1918), the artist's daughter at age 16
Portrait of Thérèse Schwartze, the Artist's Daughter, at 16 years of age
Studiekop naar links
Portrait of Johann Joseph Hermann (1782-1857), father-in law of the artist, with Ida Schwartze, the artist's oldest daughter
Untitled
Johann Wilhelm Kaiser (1813-1900). Graficus, directeur van de Graveerschool en van het Rijksmuseum
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Portrait of Johan Philip van der Kellen (1831-1906). Director of the Rijksprentenkabinet (1876-96)
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John Claflin Southwick- Self-portrait