An early and skillful self-portrait of a great artist: a young man poses somewhat fearfully, looking in the mirror (to the left). The artist seems to have become part of this still life. The light falls only on his back and neck. His face is in shadow. It seems as though he hesitates to show it to the viewer, or even to himself.
The painting conveys a sense of doubt and skepticism: is painting truly my calling? Will I succeed? And what will happen to my body? Why, then, do I have such atrophied and distorted legs, and a face that is becoming increasingly ugly, with thick red lips and a weak chin, on which a beard is just beginning to grow, somewhat covering it at last?
The man who seems to be asking these questions was on the threshold of a unique career that would establish him as one of the most important artists of his time. His name was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. When he painted this work, he was about 16 years old, ready to take the big leap into the fun-filled and pleasure-seeking world of Parisian life.
