Self-Portrait 1968

This ‘Self-Portrait’ was painted by Kmetty János, who rendered himself in a Cubist style. The monochromatic use of blue evokes a sense of melancholy. The hat he wears connects him to a lineage of self-portraits of artists—think of Rembrandt or Courbet—seeking to situate themselves within the history of art and thought. But here the hat is fragmented, suggesting a fractured identity, a mind in pieces. This motif echoes through art history. Consider the fragmented figures of Picasso, revealing a psyche grappling with modernity. This motif is not merely aesthetic; it is a visual language of inner turmoil, a shared cultural expression of the self in crisis. It touches something deep within our collective memory, a subconscious recognition of the fragmented nature of existence. János compels us to confront our own fragmented selves, reflecting how images resurface and evolve to convey evolving emotions and states of being.