Autoritratto 1928

Julius Bissier rendered this self-portrait in 1925, using oil on canvas. You can tell he’s got a steady hand and he’s really looking at himself in the mirror. I’m thinking about his decisions. What do I want to show? What am I willing to hide? The flat light, that yellow cardigan, the red book, and the curtain backdrop. He looks stern, but maybe there’s a little humor there too, like he doesn’t want to take himself too seriously. The face is serious, but the rest is more casual. The surface feels smooth, precise. Bissier really knew how to control the paint, making it almost disappear. But that control also gives the painting its intensity. I always wonder what artists are thinking when they create self-portraits. He’s looking at us and thinking, ‘this is how I want to be seen.’ And we’re looking back, wondering who he really was, what he was really like.