Self portrait 1876

Curator: This is Henrique Pousao’s "Self-Portrait," created in 1876 using pencil in a traditional sketch style. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the almost melancholic quality. The shading feels heavy, like a weight on his features. Curator: The artist, of course, would have been situated within the prevailing academic art practices. This work should be seen as the artist portraying himself in relation to those expectations. The intensity of the gaze in the context of his race and place can lead us to reflect about representation at the time. Editor: Yeah, there's something incredibly raw about it. The lack of color throws everything into high relief, highlighting every line and contour, right? It reminds me a little of daguerreotypes. You get a sense of the texture of the paper almost like you could reach out and feel it. It looks so… immediate. Curator: His academic training is very evident, the clear structure of the drawing reflects academic traditions. At the time self-portraits were also statements. So, who do you think he wanted to present himself to be through this portrait? Editor: Hmmm. Good question. It looks like he’s still forming the persona he wants to portray. You see that in his expression… is it just me, or does he seem both vulnerable and incredibly self-aware? It's that youthful thing where you are both everything and nothing all at once. I wonder if he knew what he wanted to achieve through art? Curator: Absolutely, and if we bring in considerations about the performance of masculinity, and of the male artist at this time, new depths begin to unfold in how we look at this very compelling, direct image. It encapsulates many societal and artistic values of its moment. Editor: I am struck by the mood of the piece… how Pousao could extract the complexities of existing into something made only of pencil strokes and paper. Makes you feel that, perhaps, all the colors we see around us are just variations on what this portrait has already captured. Curator: Indeed. I find this self-portrait a complex expression and intersection of an emerging artist, a specific cultural and political time and his representation.