Self-portrait 1913

Jan Mankes painted this self-portrait, we’re not sure exactly when, in oil paint, and I’m really drawn to its quiet mood. There’s a kind of gentleness in the way the paint is applied, like he’s feeling his way around his own image. Up close, the surface has this lovely, soft texture, almost like it's been buffed. The colors are muted, mostly earth tones, which gives the whole thing a very calm feeling. Look at the way he's painted his skin – it's not just one color, but a mix of pinks, grays, and even a touch of green, which creates a real sense of depth. It's especially noticeable around the eyes, where you can see these subtle shifts in tone that give him this really intense, but also kind of melancholic, gaze. That gaze kind of reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also explored this kind of quiet introspection in her self-portraits. Ultimately, this painting is all about capturing a moment of quiet self-reflection. It's about seeing yourself, really seeing yourself, with all your complexities and contradictions.