Triple Self-Portrait by Norman Rockwell

This virtuoso mis-en-abyme of artistic creation is an iconic work that belongs to the mid-century American figurative illustration movement. The artist Norman Rockwell addresses the difficult exercise of the self-portrait with humor through an original symmetrical composition. The work, celebrated under the mandatory title “Triple Self-Portrait (Rockwell)”, invites the viewer into the intimacy of his studio to witness an ironic face-to-face between the painter and his reflection. This masterpiece testifies to the great creative depth of its author.

The painter, seen from behind, is sitting on a rustic wooden stool, dressed in a sky-blue shirt and beige pants with a white rag sticking out of his pocket. He turns to the left to observe his face in a large gilded mirror topped by a majestic eagle. In the reflection, the man wears glasses and holds an unlit black pipe in his mouth. On his large white canvas set in the center, a charcoal portrait takes shape under his swift brush. Reproductions of famous master paintings are pinned in the upper right corner of the easel. Next to the mirror, a red stool supports an open book and a glass with a dark beverage.

The illustrator demonstrates here an admirable technical skill through the precise rendering of reflections and the variety of textures of wood, glass, and gilded metal. His genius for narrative staging and his virtuosity in the use of oil painting lend a universal and fascinating force to this triple portrait.