Self-portrait. 1880 Valentin Serov (1865-1911)

Description of Valentin Serov’s painting "Self-Portrait".

Probably all the famous portraitists have more than once depicted themselves on canvases of paintings. For some it was the beginning of their artistic journey, while others painted images of themselves at the very end of it. In 1880, with his own self-portrait began creative activity, the artist Valentin Serov, budding, learning skills from Repin himself. Since birth, he grew up in a family of talented parents, and it played an important role in the development of his artistic abilities.

The painting, which depicts the young painter, painted in oil on canvas. It has no clear lines, the image consists of strokes. Greenish-gray and light brown shades dominate the color composition. The artist had an uncanny ability to express a person’s disposition and state of mind, which may be why he was called a master at painting portraits.

On the canvas, the viewer sees the deep, emerald-colored eyes of Serov, which have an attractive and even, in some ways, hypnotic effect. His gaze is attentive and focused. The eyes are known to reflect a person’s essence, and the artist had a very complex and contradictory character. His slightly wavy blond hair falls on his forehead in unruly strands.

The artist’s face is framed by a small beard and a mustache line over his lips of the same color as his hair and eyebrows. The light falls on the canvas from the right corner of the painting, it emphasizes the straight and regular line of his nose. Serov’s lips are tightly compressed, which is characteristic of a complex and thoughtful creative personality.

Painting his own self-portrait was, in a way, a personal test of skill for Serov. He made an in-depth analysis of his appearance and treated it with criticism. As a result, the artist transferred to the canvas his exact reflection in the mirror.