Self-Portrait 1877

Curator: Here we have Ford Madox Brown's "Self-Portrait," a work of considerable size that doesn't bear a specific date, though we know Brown lived from 1821 to 1893. Editor: It feels like a medieval icon, strangely, with that patterned gold background. A very serious, yet warm presence about the man himself. Curator: Absolutely. It's almost as if the floral motifs reference the Pre-Raphaelite interest in naturalism, yet the overall effect suggests something far more stylized and symbolic. Editor: I wonder, too, if the golden background isn't just decorative but evocative of the artist's inner world, a radiant space of creativity. Curator: That's a beautiful reading. It's a portrait that invites introspection, both of the artist and the viewer, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely. It's a face you can get lost in, and an image rich with art-historical echoes.