Self-Portrait 1910 - 1913

Curator: Just look at the vibrant strokes in this oil painting by Henry Lyman Saffen, titled “Self-Portrait,” likely created between 1910 and 1913. What do you see first? Editor: Well, immediately, it's the somewhat jarring contrast of the bright yellow and green backdrop with the shadowed face that grabs my attention. It feels a little unsettling, like an inner conflict made visible. Curator: That disquiet is interesting. For me, it's more the juxtaposition of the dapper suit, almost suggesting conformity, versus those bold, almost Fauvist colors that give it such life and drama! It feels as if he’s deliberately breaking free from convention on canvas, doesn't it? Editor: Perhaps it speaks to the artist’s social positioning as a privileged white man in early 20th century America, grappling with societal expectations, even if subconsciously. The fact that his face is half-hidden by shadow is striking and calls attention to themes like identity and performativity of the Self. What exactly is he trying to hide, reveal or perform? Curator: It makes you wonder what he felt he couldn't express outwardly. The gaze isn’t direct. The colors are certainly unconventional for portraiture of that era. It’s like a hidden rebellion captured on linen. A silent scream rendered with elegance. Editor: Absolutely. And let's not ignore that art history itself often silences perspectives. We should remember that art is never made in a vacuum and is invariably shaped by its time, location and positionality. Curator: And doesn’t it all speak to a tension every creative feels, battling visibility with the vulnerability it implies? Even now I think how brave Saffen was, really to pour his shadow self right there on canvas like that, without flinching. Editor: The painting remains strikingly relevant to current dialogues about identity and art and representation, reminding us how important it is to question norms, resist prescribed social roles and continue seeking genuine self-expression through different lenses and forms of action. Curator: It's like he gifted us the language of uncertainty through color. It might just be one man looking back at us from over a century ago, but in so many ways, Saffen is right here with us, inviting us into a deeper conversation with ourselves and maybe challenging what we can do on our own creative paths, what do you think?