Self-Portrait, Christen Købke (1833)
Købke studied himself very carefully while painting this self-portrait. He did not intend the painting to be a typical portrait of an artist, and the picture has no traces of his tools, working clothes, or studio. Quite the contrary: he is wearing an overcoat, and the background is entirely neutral so that you have no sense that he is in the middle of a working situation.
The self-portrait is not conducive to the Romantic worship of artists and genius so prevalent at the time. Subdued or dark nuances are used throughout the entire picture, lit up only by Købke’s face. Thus, all attention is focused on him.
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