Self Portrait in a Purple Hat 1929

Kmetty János painted this "Self Portrait in a Purple Hat" with oil on canvas, using a structured approach to the forms. It’s all about those distinct facets of color and shape, like he's building himself out of chunks of paint. Looking closely, you can really see how he’s laid down the pigment, thick in some spots, letting it breathe in others. Check out the way the light hits his face – those planes of pink and peach, how they meet the shadows, and how a hard edge defines his nose. It’s like he’s sculpting with color. There’s a raw honesty here, like a slightly off-kilter Cezanne, a little rough around the edges, more about feeling than perfection. It’s this tension that gives the painting its energy, its insistence.