Self-Portrait 1899

Curator: Before us, we have Pierre-Auguste Renoir's "Self-Portrait," painted in 1899. It currently resides at the Clark Art Institute. Editor: The immediate sense is of gentle observation. It's a soft image, rendered in warm tones. A somewhat blurry image makes it hard to fully get to know him. Curator: It's quite typical of Renoir's impressionistic style, focusing on capturing light and atmosphere. Note the broken brushstrokes and the way the colors blend. It evokes more of a feeling than a sharp, photographic likeness. Think about how radically new it was for painters at the time. Impressionism wasn't exactly making Renoir rich. Editor: Right, it almost obscures the subject. What stands out most is how he renders his own face. He's wearing that dark hat, which frames his face and focuses the viewer on his eyes and that salt and pepper beard. Curator: That's a useful detail. That late in Renoir's career, his hands were beginning to trouble him because he developed rheumatoid arthritis, but the social expectation was that artists were, literally, hands-on. The impressionistic painting becomes a material signifier of physical and social labor! Editor: Interesting! It does give an ethereal sense of the man beyond the corporeal struggles of aging. Look how the background melts away, drawing our attention to his face, his gaze… it's thoughtful, maybe even a touch melancholic. It seems more profound than many other works, if you isolate this painting among all Impressionist works in the exhibit hall. Curator: He does seem reflective, and while not particularly polished, its sketch-like quality provides us access to him beyond mere representation. Editor: It definitely invites introspection, not only about Renoir himself but also about the act of aging, looking at oneself, of seeing and being seen, particularly in the 19th century! Curator: Absolutely, and it encourages us to consider how that gaze extends to the labor that brings all of that seeing into our reality. Editor: It's been lovely teasing apart these complex aspects and thoughts within this “Self-Portrait.” Thanks! Curator: A thought-provoking conversation, as always.