Self Portrait 1924

This self-portrait was made by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz. There's a real push and pull with the colours in this painting, a dark ground broken up by areas of white, green and red that almost feel like an interruption. This colour clash, combined with a real intensity in the sitter's gaze, gives the piece an unnerving quality. Looking closely, the paint handling is quite thin, but there's a surprising amount of texture, particularly in the face. You can see every little brushstroke, adding to the sense of the artist's hand and his process. Then there's this eerie tendril of smoke snaking up the canvas, seemingly without a source, or perhaps from a cigarette held out of sight. It’s a ghostly, ephemeral presence, a dark signifier set against that intense stare. Witkiewicz reminds me of another tortured soul, Egon Schiele, who also laid bare his interiority through self-portraiture. But ultimately these paintings invite us to consider the slippery nature of identity, the way we present ourselves versus who we really are.