Selvportrett 

Editor: Here we have Theodor Kittelsen’s "Selvportrett," a lovely oil painting. It looks to be…well, an idyllic moment, painted with an endearing dose of humor. The artist himself is reclining in a hammock, under an umbrella, while a pig seems very interested in his paints. What's your take? Curator: Well, the immediate delight for me is the sly subversion of the self-portrait tradition. He paints himself in repose, yet surrounded by the tools and even the subjects of his labor. Is that pig his muse, I wonder? More than just depicting, it’s reflecting on the artistic life. Do you see the unfinished painting on the easel? It mirrors the landscape around him, so the real subject might not be Kittelsen, but the art-making itself, always in process. Editor: That's such a great point. I was so caught up in the humor, I didn’t fully clock that sense of ‘in-progress,’ the artist taking a breath. Does the pig say anything to that? It's such an odd touch. Curator: Ah, the pig! Think of the vanities traditionally included in portraits – skulls, books, etc. – all symbolizing mortality or intellect. Then consider our painter opting for, well, a pig! Perhaps it is a cheeky nudge at academic pomposity, a celebration of the natural, unrefined… I like to imagine he painted himself right after seeing a particularly beautiful sunset! What do you think the painting-within-a-painting suggests to us? Editor: Maybe that life, like a painting, is messy and evolving? I initially took this artwork at face value, but I'm now finding many other deeper, ironic layers here. Curator: Precisely! The painting teases with layers – reality, artifice, humor, even philosophical musings about artistic endeavor! These unexpected elements give the image more complexity than a straightforward scene. The ordinary and extraordinary meet and enrich our perception.