Self-portrait

Chassériau's Self-Portrait of 1835, painted at seventeen, presents the young Guadeloupe-born painter with the self-consciousness of an artist constructing his artistic identity from the beginning. The portrait reveals his Ingres training in the precise contour and the controlled paint surface, while the face's emotional openness suggests the Romantic expressiveness that would eventually distinguish his work from his master's. Self-portraiture was the traditional arena for a young artist's self-examination, and Chassériau's image documents the formation of one of French Romanticism's most distinctive personalities.

The close-cropped composition and penetrating dark eyes create a self-portrait of striking psychological intensity for such a young artist. The precise drawing and restrained palette reveal Ingres's formative influence on the young prodigy.