Self-portrait

painting by Anthony van Dyck (Museum: Hermitage Museum)

Flanders, Circa 1622/23

The artist depicted himself at the height of his physical and moral powers, full of the promise of great creative potential. Traditional Flemish faithfulness to the sitter's external appearance is combined here with something of the idealisation of the Italian Renaissance. Van Dyck was seeking to embody his ideal of the creative individual, in which there are echoes of the Renaissance understanding of Man as a harmonious union of spirit and body. At the same time the painting includes a semi-ruined Classical column, giving the self-portrait a philosophical subtext, a hint at the artist's thoughts on the rapid passing of time, the vanity of earthly existence and the short lifespan of beauty, youth and glory. With an elegantly restrained colour scheme, the artist uses the finest gradations of black and grey to convey the surface of the soft silk and smooth atlas, the nuances of warm pink, yellow and pale brown tones, the soft skin of the face and the bushy hair. The paint surface is a demonstration of van Dyck's rare artistry: the daring freedom with which the artist uses his brush seems to border on sketchy improvisation.