Self-portrait 1903

This self-portrait was painted by Lajos Gulacsy, and when I look at those earth tones and brushy marks I just think about his arm moving back and forth with the brush in his hand, trying to make something come alive on that canvas. I think of him out there in Florence, painting himself into the landscape. He's not just looking in the mirror; he's looking *out*, trying to connect with something bigger. The paint is applied pretty thickly, so you can see how he's built up those layers of color and texture to create the image. Look at how he’s rendered the line of the jaw - so gestural and expressive, communicating feeling, intention, and meaning all at once. He's part of a long conversation with artists like Van Gogh and Munch, trying to figure out how to show what's going on inside by painting what's on the outside. Painting is like that, it's not about getting it right, it's about figuring it out as you go.