Self-Portrait by William Merritt Chase

This masculine portrait of great psychological depth bears witness to the tradition of grand academic portraiture from the end of the last century. Through the work titled “Self-Portrait”, the artist Chase William Merritt delivers a striking study of maturity and intellectual respectability. This piece reflects a desire to capture the inner dignity of his model through subtle lighting and an economy of color means characteristic of the masters.

The face of an elderly man emerges powerfully from a dark, abstract background in brown and black shades. His thin, grey hair matches a very full white mustache and beard surrounding his closed lips. A monocle or pair of spectacles rests on his nose, from which a long vertical black cord hangs down, cutting through the whiteness of his collar. The sitter wears an impeccable black suit jacket that blends almost entirely into the surrounding gloom. His tired but intense eyes look toward the viewer with a solemn gravity. Light, coming from the left side, precisely illuminates the high forehead, the nose, and the left side of his beard, forcefully sculpting the volumes.

The craftsmanship of Chase William Merritt shines through in the virtuose treatment of light contrasts and the rendering of hair textures. His mastery of oil painting allows for extremely soft transitions in the flesh tones, lending the model a poignant realism. This work stands as a masterly demonstration of pictorial introspection.