Self-Portrait 1905

Here we have a self-portrait by Umberto Boccioni, oil on canvas. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the canvas. The brushstrokes dance with a frenetic energy, especially around his face, capturing his likeness in a swirl of browns, yellows, and pinks. I wonder what Boccioni was thinking as he made this picture. Maybe he was interested in the tradition of portraiture, or maybe it was more of an existential exploration. I love how the tree looms over him as he's painting al-fresco, with the sunlight dappling the wall behind. I can imagine him pausing, brush in hand, lost in thought, before diving back into the paint. Boccioni's got this dark suit on, the same one that Manet wore...or was it Courbet? Painters, we're all in conversation with each other, borrowing and riffing, a continuous thread through time. It’s like we're all just talking to each other through our paintings.