Self-Portrait, Sketch 1884

This is Albert Edelfelt's Self-Portrait, Sketch, made with oil on canvas. Edelfelt painted this sketch during a period when artists were grappling with questions of identity and representation. Here, he presents himself as a man of status, dressed in formal attire with a cane. Yet there's also a looseness to the brushwork that suggests a more intimate, perhaps vulnerable self. Consider the role of class in this self-portrayal. Edelfelt was part of the Swedish-speaking Finnish gentry, a group with distinct social privileges. How might his understanding of his own position in society have influenced the way he chose to depict himself? Also think about the performative nature of identity. Edelfelt seems to be aware of the act of self-representation, inviting us to consider the constructed nature of identity. The sketch invites us to ponder the complexities of selfhood, reflecting on the tension between public persona and private experience.