Mabel Alvarez: Self-Portrait

Mabel Alvarez (American, 1891-1985): Self-Portrait, 1923 – (Oil on canvas, Alvarez Family Collection) The enigmatic Self-Portrait was a work of sober self-reflection and coloristic maturity. Alvarez’s image of herself is defined by broad areas of flat paint… The composition is simple, symmetrical, and focused - a lean description of her face in basic terms. The black line around the rim of her hat, which also appears on her shoulder, is a device to frame color…

Selbstporträt im Atelier

Lovis Corinth (German, 1858-1925): Selbstporträt im Atelier, 1914 – (Oil on panel, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, München) Self Portrait in the Studio is a sketchier portrayal of the painter at work, surrounded by his canvases, and looking much more haggard than in his pre-stroke days. Corinth suffered the stroke in 1911; thereafter his painterly style and his outlook on life changed in a number of ways. His brushwork generally became more expressive in nature…