Self-portrait with skulls 1909

Luigi Russolo made this self-portrait with skulls in oil paint, though we don't know exactly when. The color palette is really muted, like a sepia photograph, and the brushwork is frantic, like he's trying to capture something fleeting. Looking at the paint itself, it's almost like he's sculpting with it. Especially around the eyes and mouth, there's this thick impasto that gives the face a real sense of depth and texture. The skulls in the background are more ghostly, painted with thinner washes of color, they seem to emerge from the darkness. And that darkness! It's not just black, it's this rich, complex mix of browns and umbers that creates a feeling of unease, you can almost feel the weight of it. This piece feels like a cousin to some of the darker works of Ensor or Munch, those guys who were also grappling with the anxieties of modern life. Russolo embraced the avant-garde, I suspect he was more interested in asking questions than providing answers.