
Fry was not a vain man yet at various moments in his life he turned his attention upon himself, producing a series of introspective self-portraits. As in all of these, in this work there is a level gaze, a careful, critical self appraisal in which the importance of looking seems to outweigh the expression of his personality. This is the only portrait in which he is shown wearing a hat, and the light catching the edge of the brim creates a horizontal that balances the verticality of the face. Cezanne's example may have led Fry to use the background door panels as a challenge to the sense of recession set up by the line of the shoulders and the three-quarter view of the face. There is also a visual pun in the use of the pearl tie-pin to hold both tie and composition in position.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Self-Portrait, 1928
Date supported
1994
Medium and material
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
46 x 37 cm
Grant
3750
Total cost
15000

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