Cézanne undertook a systematic campaign of self-portraiture during his career, rendering his own likeness in at least twenty-five paintings. This self-portrait is thought to be his last. He depicts himself with a noticeable degree of detachment; his eyes in particular lack detail and energy, projecting a sense of psychological distance. While passages of the painting appear unresolved—including the thinly painted surface of the jacket and the barely indicated chair—carefully rendered swaths of distinct color unite to form the artist’s cheekbone and forehead, suggesting the care with which he continued to compose his own, aging face.

---