Self-Portrait 1837 - 1911

Editor: Right now we’re looking at Alphonse Legros's "Self-Portrait," dating between 1837 and 1911. It's a pencil or graphite drawing that feels both intimate and a little melancholic. The artist gazes downward. What strikes you most about it? Curator: It's funny, you know? It’s the artist looking at himself, thinking of himself, making something, wrestling to get at that idea of himself that dances in his own skull. And there he is, fixing that thought on a piece of paper, pinning the butterfly! You get the impression he isn’t flattering himself. What kind of inner dialogue do you think he might be having with himself? Editor: Maybe a bit self-critical? The eyes seem heavy, almost burdened. Do you think this was just an exercise in capturing likeness or something deeper? Curator: Ah, you wound me with such a direct question! I can almost see Legros sketching, muttering "More shadow here, capture that doubt.” You see, for me, portraits, *especially* self-portraits, they’re always deeper. We only *think* we're looking at a likeness. Instead, we glimpse the artist wrestling with something much grander, something maybe he doesn't even fully grasp. What I wonder, if you were going to do a portrait of yourself, what implements might you use, and how would you choose to depict yourself? Editor: That’s a good question… it gives me a lot to think about concerning what this artwork reveals of the artist's identity! Thanks for sharing your perspective. Curator: And thank you for the chat! Always good to try to glimpse behind the veil together.