Self-Portrait 1904

Albert Marquet made this self-portrait with oil paint, we don’t know exactly when. Look at the loose brushstrokes that build up his face, a patchwork of browns, pinks, and creams. I can imagine him squinting at himself in the mirror, dabbing at the canvas, stepping back, and then leaning in again. There's something so intimate about a self-portrait, isn’t it? A painter trying to capture their own essence, maybe even understand themselves better in the process. Marquet’s face emerges from a warm, earthy background, blending into it. It’s as if he's both there and not there, present and yet dissolving into the paint. Those strokes around his eyes and mouth, they suggest a certain weariness, a sense of quiet contemplation. I bet he was fascinated by light and how it reveals and conceals. You can see that he and Matisse were friends, but whereas Matisse went wild with colour, Marquet explored its quieter possibilities. It’s a painting that invites you to pause and reflect, not just on the image but on the act of seeing itself.