Self-Portrait: Caricatures c. 1918

Elihu Vedder made this self-portrait caricature on a small sheet using graphite and red chalk. It's like a page torn from a sketchbook, filled with quick studies and notes. Vedder’s marks are tentative, searching, almost like he’s thinking aloud on paper. The lines aren’t precious; they overlap and suggest multiple possibilities. There’s a raw, immediate quality to it, and you can feel the artist working through his ideas. I love the way the red chalk pops against the graphite, adding a touch of color. It emphasizes certain features, like the mouth or the direction of a gaze. Look at the bottom head, the way Vedder renders his face with such heavy lines, and then surrounds it with lighter, floating versions. It's like he’s dissecting his own image, poking fun at himself, trying to find the essence of his character through these exaggerated forms. It reminds me of Philip Guston's late work, where he embraced a similar kind of cartoonish figuration.