Self-portrait

Ramon Casas executed this oil self-portrait in Paris in 1883 when he was seventeen years old. The work was preceded by earlier portraits of his grandparents and parents, as well as portraits of his cousins Joaquim Casas and Miquel Carbó completed the same year. Two smaller bust-length self-portraits were also produced during this period, one of which is considered a preparatory study for this larger composition.

The painting later entered the collection of Lluís Plandiura i Pou before being acquired by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, where it remains held. The artist's choice of attire, featuring a short bullfighter's costume with a red sash, reflects his early engagement with Spanish themes while studying under Carolus-Duran.

The work is held by Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, where it is recorded under inventory number not specified in the sources. Exhibition history includes its display in the museum’s collection galleries, reflecting its status as a key example of Catalan modernism and its continued presence in institutional exhibitions since its creation in 1883.

The painting was created in Paris in 1883 and depicts Ramon Casas in a flamenco-inspired self-portrait, wearing a short bullfighter's outfit with a red sash. It measures 115.5 cm in height and 96 cm in width, painted in oil on canvas. The piece is part of the museum’s permanent collection, originally owned by Lluís Plandiura i Pou, and has been featured in exhibitions focused on modernist portraiture and Spanish artistic movements.

Executed in Paris in 1883 when the artist was only seventeen, this work demonstrates Ramon Casas's early mastery of portraiture, following earlier studies of his grandparents and parents. The composition, featuring a figure cut against a black background with intense facial illumination, reveals the direct influence of his Parisian teacher, Carolus-Duran. Through this mentorship, the painting also reflects the legacy of Velázquez, particularly in its handling of light and color.

The work is situated within the broader movements of Catalan modernism and Art Nouveau. Unconventionally, Casas depicted himself in a tight-fitting bullfighter's costume with grey trousers and a red sash, a choice that highlights his engagement with Spanish cultural identity even while working abroad.

Ramon Casas' Self-portrait of 1883, painted when he was seventeen in Paris, established a distinctive approach to portraiture that influenced later Catalan artists. Its striking use of intense lighting and cropped composition, reflecting the impact of his mentor Carolus-Duran and Velázquez, contributed to the development of modernist portrait conventions in Catalonia. The work is housed in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and is recognized as a key example of Catalan modernism and Art Nouveau. Its legacy includes inspiring subsequent generations to explore identity and technique within the portrait genre.

This oil painting is a self-portrait by Ramon Casas, created in 1892. It is a representation of the artist in a contemplative pose, characterized by a somber and introspective mood.