The artwork entitled “Self-Portrait in Shirtsleeves” is an oil on canvas created by Henri Matisse in 1900, which currently resides in a private collection. This self-portrait is a work of the Fauvism art movement, reflecting the artist’s innovative departure from traditional representation to embrace bold colors and expressive brushwork.
In the artwork, Matisse depicts himself with a palette and brushes in hand, suggesting the act of painting. The artist’s face is rendered with keen attention to the play of light and shadow, while the background and his clothing are composed of vivid and loosely applied strokes of color. The overall appearance is one of dynamic energy, characteristic of the Fauvist style, which emphasizes painterly qualities and strong color over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism. Through his self-portrait, Matisse explores his identity as an artist and his relationship with the act of painting itself.
