- Self-portrait
- B.M.444
- 19th century
- French
Length: 66.4 cm
Width: 55.2 cm
Length: With frame 82 cm
Width: With frame 70 cm
Depth: With frame 5.8 cm
Bonvin was a prominent artist in the French Realist movement during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. He executed this self-portrait early in his career when he had only just begun to experiment with painting in oil. The influence of Gustave Courbet is clear, particularly in the textured brushwork, dramatic light and candid intensity of his facial expression. Courbet was a friend of Bonvin and painted his portrait (now lost) in 1846. Bonvin would have been able to learn from Courbet's technique while sitting as a model, and may have been inspired to attempt the same subject himself.