Self-Portrait, Zakopane

Description

Tracking the anguished contortions of the artist’s face, this trio of self-portraits reflect Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz’s fascination with photography’s privileged ability to represent a sitter’s psyche. Witkiewicz was an artist and author known for his bohemian lifestyle. Portraiture was especially important to the artist, who preferred to work in series, arguing that multiple images offered a fuller, more complex understanding of the sitter. This interest extended beyond painting and sketching to include photographs that the artist made as private experiments, which he often gifted to friends.

Self-Portrait, Zakopane

Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz

c. 1910

Accession Number

198350

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 12.4 × 8.7 cm (4 15/16 × 3 7/16 in.)

Classification

N/A

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Helen and Sam Zell