Artwork
Self-portrait by Lamplight
Self-portrait by Lamplight is an oil painting by the Symbolist artist Kristian Zahrtmann. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Created in 1914, this oil painting presents the artist’s own likeness illuminated by a single lamp.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The lamplight casts a concentrated glow on the artist’s face and upper body, emphasizing introspection and concentration while leaving the background in shadow.
The work depicts the artist Kristian Zahrtmann seated indoors by lamplight, turned slightly toward the viewer with a contemplative expression.
The lamplight casts a concentrated glow on the artist’s face and upper body, emphasizing introspection and concentration while leaving the background in shadow. This lighting choice underscores a mood of solitude and inward focus, aligning with the introspective qualities typical of self-portraiture in the period. The composition and subdued palette suggest a private moment of reflection rather than public display.
Technique & Style
Kristian Zahrtmann's Self-portrait by Lamplight, created in 1914, is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. The work measures 39.5 cm in height and 32 cm in width. As a self-portrait, the painting focuses formally on the artist himself, utilizing the medium of oil to capture his likeness. The piece is classified as a portrait within the genre of self-representation.
History & Provenance
Kristian Zahrtmann created the oil painting Self-portrait by Lamplight in 1914. Executed on canvas, the work measures 39.5 cm in height and 32 cm in width. The piece depicts the artist himself and has been held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains located.
Self-portrait by Lamplight, painted by Kristian Zahrtmann in 1914, is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
The work entered the museum's inventory as a formal accession, catalogued under the museum's provenance records.
It was included in the museum's 2018 exhibition "Danish Masters: Self-Portraiture," which highlighted significant self-representations by early 20th-century Danish artists.
Context
Kristian Zahrtmann's 1914 oil painting Self-portrait by Lamplight, housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst, exemplifies his introspective approach to self-representation through portraiture. The work, depicted as a self-portrait featuring the artist himself, was created during a period marked by his influence within Danish artistic circles, though specific connections to broader movements remain unelaborated in the provided sources. Its reception and scholarly analysis are anchored to the artist's broader practice of exploring identity and individuality within the portrait genre, as reflected in its classification and institutional context.
The painting's material execution in oil on canvas, measuring 39.5 cm by 32 cm, aligns with Zahrtmann's technical focus during this phase of his career, situating it within the evolution of early 20th-century Danish portraiture.
Overview
Created in 1914, this oil painting presents the artist’s own likeness illuminated by a single lamp. The composition focuses tightly on the head, showing a bearded face beneath a simple head covering. Darkened reds, yellows and purples dominate the palette, while the background recedes into an unadorned, shadowy space, emphasizing the intimate, introspective mood.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann, known as Kristian Zahrtmann, (31 March 1843 – 22 June 1917) was a Danish painter.
