Self-Portrait 1926

Periklis Vyzantios made this oil on canvas without a date, and what strikes me is the artist's cool detachment! Vyzantios presents himself in this self-portrait as a painter ready for work. I can imagine him staring intently at himself in the mirror, mixing paint on his palette, trying to capture something of his inner essence. His face is painted in a realistic style, but the rest of the painting is sketchier, with visible brushstrokes. What was he thinking when he made it? I wonder if he was trying to show himself as both an artist and a person, a professional and just an ordinary guy. There's a kind of confident self-awareness there, standing next to the canvas like that. This portrait makes me think about other artists who have painted themselves, like Rembrandt or Van Gogh. It's like Vyzantios is joining a long conversation about what it means to be an artist, an ongoing dialogue where ideas are exchanged across time.