Self-Portrait, Eugène Carrière (c. 1893)

Self-Portrait, Eugène Carrière (c. 1893)

Eugène Carrière’s Self-Portrait surrounds the viewer with an intimate haze of reflection. Painted around 1893, the figure seems to emerge softly from a background of warm, earthy umber tones, blurring the line between subject and shadow. This delicate, almost dreamlike approach defines Carrière’s Symbolist style—focused less on exact detail and more on evoking mood and inner emotion.

Rather than a sharp likeness, the painting invites quiet contemplation, as if the artist’s face is a fleeting thought or memory. At the time, this method was seen as a bold break from traditional realism. Critics compared Carrière’s use of light and shade to sculpting—one noting, “Rodin paints in marble and Carrière sculpts with shadow,” highlighting their shared focus on form through different mediums.

Carrière’s work reflects the Symbolist movement’s interest in exploring psychology and the intangible, offering a personal, almost spiritual portrait rather than a straightforward likeness.

Cotton and polyester canvas on Radiata pine wood frame sourced from renewable forests. Includes back mounting.