Self portrait

Self portrait

1987

Author: Jordi Andreu Fresquet 

It is a self-portrait of the artist, in which he appears half-length, dressed in black, with a painting in the background. His features are distinguished: eyes, nose and mouth, and the eyebrows stand out, very black and well defined. But even though his face is clearly visible, the representation does not allow us to identify who it is, as the features are poorly detailed and there are some spots of black paint that detract from his sharpness. Also the part of the body that is seen has a relatively informal treatment, as if it were in motion or unfinished, and is crossed diagonally by a spot of blue paint. The painting that serves as the background frames the head from the shoulders, and protrudes to the top of the work. It is a representation of a rectangular painting in which, on a red background, a series of black spots stand out, with a free stroke. At the bottom and on the sides of this rectangle, it can be seen that the painting does not occupy the entire surface, but that rectilinear strips have been left in white, like a frame. In the upper line, however, this white outline is blurred and the paint goes beyond the boundaries of the rectangle. The set is clearly evocative not only of the artist’s appearance, but of his way of working, characterized by the representation of dynamic figures, which lose clarity or deform as if they were in continuous motion, and by the appearance of brushstrokes with an informal and spontaneous appearance. This way of working recalls that of the Irish painter Francis Bacon, of whom the artist was a great admirer.

Material: Acrylic on paper Dimensions: 80 x 60 cm Ref.: Inv. MB 2395

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