Portrait of a Man

In the venerable tradition of Old Masters like Rembrandt, Melchers produced multiple self-portraits over the course of his life, continually revisiting, documenting, and reflecting upon his own self as a work in progress. Melchers painted portraits of some of the biggest celebrities of his day, including Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Mellon, but he also produced many anonymous portraits of professionals from all walks of life.

Here, Melchers presents himself as a working professional, jacket doffed and sleeves rolled. The pince-nez spectacles are not typical of Melchers, but neither are the blocky, heavy brushstrokes he has used—might it take a distortive lens to reveal something true about ourselves?