Self-portrait. 1880 Isaac Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)

Description of Isaac Levitan’s painting Self-Portrait

The artist painted this self-portrait while still in his youth. At this time he was not yet recognized by everyone, and the skill had not yet come to him. Levitan is 20 years old.

We see a young man with typically southern features of his strong-willed face. His hair, incredibly wavy, forms a whole characteristic cap. The eyes are very huge and inquisitive. The lips are quite full6 and the facial oval is quite refined. Who is he? An Italian, perhaps, or a Greek? This is how we imagine the gondoliers of Italy.

We see a man of stubborn character. The inclination of his head is peculiar. We see a man who has already gone through a lot. He has experienced the death of his loved ones, starved, had no means of livelihood. The subject of his paintings would be the magnificent nature, the beauty of which he was able to convey as fully and brightly as possible.

This self-portrait is not a painting, but like a light drawing, made with charcoal and brush. All this, combined with the very warm tone of the main background allows you to feel that this creation - a real painting canvas. It seems that this portrait is painted very quickly, but with the utmost poignancy.

There are broad brushstrokes along the edge of the painting. But the head and face are modeled in as much detail as possible. They convey all the features, the peculiarities of the artist’s facial expression.

The self-portrait is as realistic as possible. The viewer sees that the artist is very poor, we also understand that he is a Jew and an artist. The background of the painting itself is light. The dark hair and jacket form a kind of silhouette that stands out in the self-portrait. The face is not highlighted with tone. It is framed by a black beard and hair. The whole image becomes quite romantic, but also dramatic.

The image is as concrete as possible, Levitan’s hand is incredibly virtuosic. The viewer can feel it in full. The artist wants to express himself, but this desire is not yet aware of it. We very clearly understand that, despite such a young age, in front of us a real master.