Selbstbildnis
um 1850
Medium
Öl auf Leinwand
Dimensions
45 x 40 cm
Classification
Gemälde
Department
Belvedere Collection
Museum
Belvedere
Credit
Belvedere, Vienna
Accession Number
7948
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Millet’s *Selbstbildnis* (Self-Portrait), painted around 1850, offers an intimate glimpse into the artist’s early career. Executed in oil on canvas and measuring just 45 by 40 centimeters, the small scale invites close viewing and suggests a personal, reflective work rather than a formal commission. At this time Millet was establishing himself in France, soon to become known for his sensitive portrayals of rural life. The choice of oil on canvas allowed Millet to achieve subtle tonal gradations and a direct, unvarnished realism that would define his mature style. As a self-portr...
About the Artist
Jean-François Millet · 1814–1875
Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school, whose dignified depictions of peasant laborers transformed how art could represent rural life. His monumental images of sowers, gleaners, and field workers elevated common people to subjects previously reserved for mythological or historical figures, making him a pivotal figure in the development ...