Camille Pissarro, A Self-Portrait
c. 1890
Medium
Etching with drypoint in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 18.6 × 17.7 cm (7 3/8 × 7 in.); Sheet: 36.5 × 26.2 cm (14 3/8 × 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
105222
Art Historical Context
Camille Pissarro created this intimate self-portrait around 1890, capturing himself at the age of sixty in a moment of quiet reflection. As a leading figure of the Impressionist movement, Pissarro often explored everyday subjects with a focus on light and atmosphere, yet this etching reveals a more personal side. Working in black ink on cream laid paper, he used the etching and drypoint techniques to build subtle textures and expressive lines that convey both his features and inner character. Printmaking held special importance for Pissarro during this period, allowing him to experiment with ...
About the Artist
Camille Pissarro · 1831–1903
Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) stands as the patriarch of Impressionism, the only artist to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions and a mentor whose influence shaped the trajectory of modern art. Born Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas to a Jewish-Portuguese merchant family, he abandoned the family business to pursue painting, eventually settling in Paris i...