Self-Portrait 

Editor: So, here we have Anders Zorn's Self-Portrait, painted with oils, although its specific date is unknown. I am captivated by its somewhat unsettled mood and heavy materiality of paint, particularly on the sculptural bust. What is your take on this piece? Curator: Considering its materials and their manipulation, I see Zorn engaging with contemporary notions of labor and the artist’s hand. Notice how the impasto technique renders the bust almost aggressively tactile, in contrast to the more polished depiction of Zorn himself. Editor: Yes, there's an almost performative aspect to the brushstrokes! What would this contrast suggest? Curator: Perhaps Zorn is commenting on the marketability of artistic skill. He emphasizes the ‘work’ involved in creating art— the literal layering of oil paint—even as he presents a refined, almost aristocratic self-image. He is showing both sides of the process to enhance the reading. Editor: It’s interesting to consider the labor aspect alongside his social status, creating the art and being the artistic subject. I am drawn to what this tells us about society and art! Curator: Precisely. Think of who commissions such works, and who historically does not. It’s not just a self-portrait, but a statement on artistic production and class, mediated through the materiality of paint itself, for sale, or for status. Editor: That definitely broadens my understanding of not just Zorn, but art of the period as well. Curator: And hopefully gets us all to think about who creates art, how, and for whom.