“Self-Portrait”
Ahh.. Baroque art…
“Self-Portrait” is a stunning oil on canvas painting by the Italian artist, Salvator Rosa, from circa 1647. A man of many talents, Rosa was not only a painter, but a musician, poet, etcher, writer, playwright, and often acted in his own plays. He was one of the most famous artists of his day, equally earning fans and enemies alike from his candid views on various subjects.
In this piece, Rosa depicts himself writing in ink onto a human skull. In Greek, he writes, “Behold, whither, eventually”. In this text, whither means “to what place”. He is wearing a wreath upon his head made up of cypress leaves, giving them a funerary symbolism. A single tear falls down his right cheek. Rosa often painted philosophical subtext in his art and this piece is heavy with it. The background is dark and swirly, reminiscent of storm clouds.
Rosa had given this painting to his friend, Giovanni Battista Ricciardi, as a gift. A piece of paper to the left of the book contains the painting’s inscription, “Saluatore Rosa dipinse nell’Eremo e dono a Gio. Batt. Ricciardi suo Amico” which means “Salvator Rosa painted this in a solitary place and gave it to his friend Giovanni Battista Ricciardi”. Ricciardi was a known lecturer and moral philosopher from Pisa who Rosa met while living in Florence. The two formed a strong friendship and wrote many letters back and forth expounding upon philosophical ideas and all aspects of life. In the portrait, many of the themes they discuss are present including Seneca, the Roman philosopher, whose book is on the table.
Rosa painted this while he was living in Florence, Italy. He had moved there at the request of the Medici family, but wanting total artistic freedom, Rosa decided against forming an art relationship with them.
There has been some debate about whether this has been misidentified as a self-portrait, and that it might actually be a portrait of his friend, Ricciardi. However, the general consensus is that it is a self-portrait, although idealized, which is something Rosa often did. Several other self-portraits by this art master are in institutions across the world today including “Self-Portrait as a Painter” in the Gallerie degli Ufizzi in Florence, “Self-Portrait” in the Detroit Institute of Arts, “Self-Portrait as Pascariello” in a private collection, and Allegory of Philosophy at the National Gallery in London.
“Self-Portrait” is currently in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, in the United States.
For more on Salvator Rosa, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
