Self Portrait

Émile Bernard painted Self Portrait in 1897, an oil on canvas measuring 52 cm by 42 cm, created as a vertical composition depicting the artist in bust form beside a single flower against a blue wall. The work was dedicated to the Dutch collector Andries Bonger and bears his signature and the year of execution. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it remains on display.

Émile Bernard's 1897 Self Portrait is recognized as a significant work within the Synthetism and Cloisonnism movements, reflecting his pivotal role in developing these Post-Impressionist styles. The painting serves as a historical document of the artist's mature phase, characterized by bold outlines and flat areas of color. Its inclusion in the Rijksmuseum collection underscores its importance in the canon of late 19th-century French art.

The work also functions as a personal artifact of international artistic exchange, featuring an inscription dedicated to the Dutch collector Andries Bonger's family with the phrase "to our friends in Holland."

Émile Bernard's 1897 Self Portrait played a pivotal role in shaping early 20th-century artistic developments through its synthesis of synthetism and cloisonnism, influencing peers and successors in the evolution of modernist painting. The work's distinctive composition and symbolic use of color contributed to Bernard's reputation as a key figure in post-Impressionist circles, particularly within the broader Nabi network. Its inclusion in the Rijksmuseum collection ensures continued scholarly attention to Bernard's innovative approach, reinforcing his legacy within the narrative of avant-garde experimentation in fin-de-siècle Europe.

Émile Bernard’s Self Portrait (1899) is an oil painting that presents the artist’s own likeness. Executed in the late nineteenth century, the work belongs to the collection of the Rijksmuseum. It measures a modest size and depicts Bernard seated before a plain blue backdrop, his features rendered with a loose handling of paint.