Self-Portrait
1885
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1885
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting is a self-portrait of the artist, depicting a man with a mustache and a beret. He is wearing a dark vest over a white shirt and is holding a pencil in his right hand, poised over a piece of paper. The background is a light color, which contrasts with the darker tones of the subject's clothing. The artist's use of chiaroscuro creates a sense of depth and dimensionality in the painting, with the light source coming from the left side of the composition. The overall effect is one of quiet contemplation, as if the artist is lost in thought as he works on his art. To learn more about the artist's use of chiaroscuro, look up the technique of chiaroscuro.
