Search the collection
Self-Portrait
painting
Lewis, Percy Wyndham
Europe, United Kingdom, England
1921
1925.579
oil/oil on canvas over hardboard
76.3 x 68.6 cm
Portrait of the Artist as the Painter Raphael 1921
Wyndham Lewis 1882 - 1957
Oil on canvas over hardboard
There is a long tradition of artists painting themselves.
This self-portrait is one of a series Lewis produced,
each dramatising a different aspect of his personality.
The reference to Raphael may be reverential or ironic.
What relates this man in a brown jacket,
with a windsor chime clock on the mantelpiece,
to the great Italian Renaissance artist?
The calmness of this painting
contrasts with Lewis's earlier dynamic, abstract works.
These were a celebratory response
to modernity and the machine age.
Later, Lewis reassessed this position
after experiencing the reality of modern technology
on the front line during the First World War.
Presented by Charles L Rutherston 1925.579
Collections search powered by KE EMu software
