Self-Portrait with a Palette is a painting created in 1894 by Paul Gauguin during his Paris period. It features the artist standing in a room wearing a closed coat and fur cap while holding a palette and brushes, clearly identifying him as a painter. The painting was executed on a pair of cupboard doors along with a portrait of de Haan.
The artwork has been subject to different interpretations, with some suggesting that Gauguin cast himself as either Satan or Christ. Gauguin’s primitivist style is a highlight in this painting, revealing his unique ability to capture a mood with colours, light and shadow.
In addition to the self-portrait, insight into Gauguin’s creative process is gleaned from a palette found after his death, which indicates that he did not clean his palette or arrange his colours in any particular order. Self-Portrait with a Palette is held in a private collection today, representing one of Gauguin’s many pieces of art that reveal his talent in the realm of Post-Impressionism.
