Self Portrait 1909

Editor: So here we have Jean Béraud’s “Self Portrait,” painted in 1909, rendered with oil on canvas. The painting strikes me as both formal and slightly detached – the side profile, the impeccable dress...it all seems so deliberately composed. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, on the surface, we see the trappings of the quintessential bourgeois gentleman – the top hat, the meticulously groomed mustache, the formal wear complete with a boutonniere. But beyond this veneer, what cultural memories does Béraud evoke, or perhaps subvert? What do we know about the “flâneur” in the era and what would Béraud like the viewers to feel about this persona? Editor: You mention cultural memories. How much of that imagery would have resonated at the time? The top hat seems so...stereotypical, even. Curator: Precisely! Think of what that symbol signifies: power, class, tradition, and yet there is also a hint of the dandy, perhaps someone challenging conventions. Is he celebrating the old guard, or satirizing it? Notice the angle of his gaze, slightly averted, which conveys some distance. Is he engaging, or disengaging from society? That red flower – a small detail, yet loaded with symbolic weight. Why red and not white or another color? Editor: I hadn’t thought about the colour so carefully. Maybe the artist is making a statement of rebellion, with red indicating passion? Or even violence? Curator: It certainly could! What about the way the light catches his hair? Isn’t it almost like a halo? So, does it challenge or reinforce tradition and stereotype? Are these combined statements of strength and acceptance that are intended to present a clear image? Editor: Now I am thinking differently about every aspect. It is fascinating that symbols we take for granted can mean different things to people or carry multiple meaning. Curator: Yes, the fun is to look closely at each of those decisions as carriers of social significance. You were drawn to detachment. Do the artist’s aesthetic choices evoke that feeling in you, still?