Self-Portrait 1913 - 1917

Edvard Weie made this self-portrait with oil on canvas, but this is no smooth academic exercise. Look closely, and you'll see how the material asserts itself. Weie applied the paint with visible, energetic strokes, leaving the surface rough and textured. The colors are earthy, mixed right on the canvas itself. There's a tactile quality to the work, pulling it away from mere representation. The thick application of paint is so frank, it becomes the main event. Weie’s expressive approach, with its celebration of materiality, can be understood as a reaction against the industrialization of art production. By emphasizing the handmade quality of his work, he asserted the value of individual creativity and skill. It's a painting about painting, about the very act of bringing something into being. Thinking about this shifts our understanding of the work. It becomes less about accurate likeness and more about a dialogue between artist, material, and the world around him.