Self-portrait with long bushy hair: head only c. 1631

This is a self-portrait etching by Rembrandt van Rijn, now at the Rijksmuseum. The first thing you might notice is the artist’s commanding use of line, a dense thicket of strokes that define his figure against the lighter paper. Rembrandt uses etching to explore the very nature of self-representation. Look closely, and you’ll see how the lines coalesce to form shadows that obscure parts of his face. This is not just a portrait but an essay on the act of seeing and understanding. The rough, almost chaotic lines of his hair contrast with the more defined features of his face, creating a tension between the external and internal self. The etching challenges the traditional idea of a portrait as a clear, objective likeness. Instead, Rembrandt offers us a subjective, almost fragmented view of himself. In doing so, he invites us to question the stability of identity, suggesting it’s always under construction.