Self Portrait 1962

Beauford Delaney painted this self-portrait with oil paint, and you can see the energy of his process right there on the canvas. The way he's built up the colors and marks feels like he's not just depicting himself, but also trying to capture the very act of seeing. The texture is really alive, isn't it? Thick strokes of yellows, oranges, and blues create this vibrant, almost feverish surface. Look at how he renders his face – it's not about smooth realism but about these bold, almost chunky marks that define his features. Notice the cigarette he's holding. It is such a small detail, but it says so much, doesn't it? It's casual, cool, like a punctuation mark in the middle of all this expressive paint. Delaney's work reminds me a bit of Van Gogh, in the way he uses color and texture to convey emotion. But Delaney brings his own unique energy to it, a kind of raw honesty. His paintings are not just portraits; they are conversations with himself and with us.