Portrait of the artist 1894 - 1896

Curator: What a striking self-portrait this etching presents. Dating from about 1894 to 1896, this is Marcellin Desboutin's "Portrait of the Artist", found in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: He's staring right at you, isn't he? Quite an intense gaze, and those shadows—almost melancholic, I'd say. He's clearly putting himself on display, almost daring us to judge. Curator: Absolutely. There’s a rawness to it that is undeniably captivating. The way Desboutin uses etching—a process using acid to create lines on a metal plate for printing—gives it this wonderful textural quality. Notice how his hair seems almost electric? Editor: Yes, those swirling lines! It’s Impressionistic, yet much grittier. I am stuck on his attire. The loosely tied cravat adds this bohemian flair, suggesting a rejection of conventional formality. Almost flaunting an indifference, yet done so artistically! Curator: Exactly. Desboutin, a close friend of Manet and Degas, was very much part of that avant-garde circle in Paris. What he's presenting isn’t just a face, it is a statement of artistic identity. It whispers a kind of weary defiance; look closer, and his features carry both boldness and vulnerability. Editor: It’s almost as if he’s laying bare his soul for a brief instant of evaluation. So, for those viewing, really try to connect with the gaze, and the artist, and how he's immortalized himself through lines, and shade and... perhaps a little melancholy! Curator: A fleeting examination in time. It's in the etching lines of course. Editor: Definitely makes you think!