Self-portrait

Self-portrait, signed with date 1918 and with an indication of the place of its creation as Lublin, is a testimony to the artist's late work. It shows the face of a man carefully watching the viewer, painted with the hasty application of successive layers of watercolours. Fałat in his characteristic cap is shown frontally, with carefully emphasized facial features and a strong chiaroscuro modelling. The artist's face, characterized by a bright, expressive colour spot and chiaroscuro modelling, clearly stands out from the general, sketchy background.

The self-portrait of Julian Fałat (1853–1929) marks the characteristic features of the artist's stylistically mature work. A strong, synthetic image exudes an unusual sharpness of gaze and lightly applied colour spots creating the impression of masterly improvisation, leading to the intensification of the model's face, invigorating power, making a full-plastic, expressive and clearly characterized person emerge from the smooth cardboard - we come face to face with the artist and his creative program to give the image a vital and sensual substance.

Marcin Lachowski