Zelfportret 1834 - 1890

Charles Verlat created this self-portrait with an etching technique. The print employs a limited tonal range of blacks and whites. The composition is dominated by the artist's head and shoulders, emerging from a softly shaded background. Verlat uses hatching and cross-hatching to build up the density of the shadows, particularly noticeable in the beard and around the eyes, giving the face a strong sense of volume. His gaze is direct, almost confrontational. The lines that form his face seem to have a life of their own. The portrait challenges conventional portraiture by destabilizing the boundary between subject and medium. The artist’s identity is inseparable from the etching marks themselves. This etching blurs the line between representation and abstraction, highlighting the structural elements of artmaking.