Portrait of Oscar Wilde 1895

Editor: Here we have Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's oil on canvas, "Portrait of Oscar Wilde", created in 1895. It has an unfinished, sketch-like quality that strikes me. What do you make of it, focusing on how it’s put together as a picture? Curator: Note how Lautrec used loose brushstrokes to capture the essence of Wilde. See how the rapid strokes define the form. Wilde's presence dominates through colour and texture – an approach influenced by Impressionism. How do you see the composition guiding your eye? Editor: My gaze bounces around a bit, there is something disproportionate that pulls my attention. Curator: Precisely. Notice how the exaggerated features like the prominent lips and drooping eyes contribute to a sense of caricature. These features become stylistic tools for conveying personality through distortion. Is there an area in which the materiality—how the medium is physically applied—makes you perceive the subject’s presence acutely? Editor: I find his teal jacket a strange splash of colour. Does this choice influence the rest of the composition? Curator: Lautrec often juxtaposed clashing hues. Here, the vibrant teal clashes with the muted backdrop, emphasizing Wilde's flamboyant personality through discordant tones. Note also how the jacket is loosely shaped and lacks structural resolution, making the jacket alive as the rest. What is your sense of how the image functions as a system of representation? Editor: Interesting! I see now that this wasn't a conventional portrait. It's less about accurate representation, and more about…evoking something specific in the viewer. Curator: Yes, and in emphasizing Wilde's distinctive image. These techniques and pictorial devices function to defamiliarize Wilde as subject, to reveal new dimensions.