Artwork
Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait is an oil painting by Niels Larsen Stevns. It dates from 1941 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Overview
Niels Larsen Stevns, a Danish painter and sculptor, completed this oil-on-canvas self‑portrait in 1941, the same year he died. The work belongs to the collection of Denmark’s National Gallery (Statens Museum for Kunst). It presents the artist seated, his features softened, and is rendered with a palette of muted blues, pinks, greens, punctuated by occasional reds and whites.
Technique & Style
Stevns applied paint in thick, uneven layers, creating a tactile surface that emphasizes the materiality of the medium. The brushwork is swift and conspicuous, suggesting an almost improvisational approach. While the facial details remain vague, the surrounding garments and chair are rendered with slightly more definition, allowing the texture of the impasto to dominate the visual experience.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait offers a contemplative glimpse of the artist at the end of his life, his obscured visage perhaps reflecting introspection or the fading of personal identity. The dark hat and light scarf frame the figure, while the subdued colour scheme contributes to a mood of quiet resignation rather than overt self‑assertion.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the painting entered the holdings of Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s representation of early‑20th‑century Danish art. Its acquisition underscores Stevns’s significance within Danish modernism and his association with major projects such as the Viborg Cathedral decorations.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Niels Larsen Stevns (9 July 1864 – 27 September 1941) was a Danish painter and sculptor.
