Self Portrait 1860

Eastman Johnson captures himself in this intimate self-portrait, armed with a pen, the quintessential tool of creation. The act of writing, steeped in tradition, links Johnson to scribes of antiquity, medieval monks illuminating manuscripts, and enlightenment philosophers penning treatises. See how the desk, laden with papers and books, becomes an altar to knowledge. This recalls the scholar's study found in numerous Renaissance paintings. In those images, the pen was a symbol of intellectual power and authority. Yet here, the scene is muted, introspective. The very act of writing has always been a potent symbol of transferring thoughts to a tangible form, almost like a spell. How is it that humans are able to create and materialize complex ideas? Note how this image evokes a deep, subconscious connection to our intellectual and cultural ancestors. The act of writing, like the creation of art, is an ancient impulse—a cyclical return to the symbolic process of imbuing meaning into the world.