Léon Spilliaert

Madeleine Spilliaert, Uccle
Johan van Rossum, Bruxelles
Galerie Philippe & Linde Seghers, Ostende
Collection particulière

Anvers, Galerie Campo & Campo, 1997, no. 114

Executed on board, not laid down. The edges of the board have been slighty damaged which is not visible when framed. There are some remnants of tape along the upper edge. This work is in very good original condition.
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Conté crayon, charcoal, coloured crayons, pastel and wax or varnish on board. Executed in 1911.

Fig. 1  Edvard Munch, Autoportrait (détail), vers 1904, huile sur toile, Collection particulière (vente: Sotheby's, Londres, 7 février 2006, lot 31)

Plus que toutes les œuvres qui expriment le désarroi d'un jeune artiste qui se cherche, les autoportraits de Léon Spilliaert se trouvent au centre de sa production de jeunesse. Dans la série des autoportraits exécutés entre septembre 1907 et novembre 1908 il explore intensément dans une quête spirituelle et psychologique la vérité de son être le plus profond.

L'intérêt pour la rencontre de sa propre image s'était déjà manifesté dès 1902 dans un autoportrait où il révélait ses sources de références littéraires, philosophiques et musicales. La thématique de l'autoportrait surgit donc à différents moments clefs de son évolution artistique et humaine. Trois années séparent l'autoportrait présenté ici et le dernier portrait au bord de l'abîme daté novembre 1908.

En 1911, Spilliaert a adopté une physionomie nouvelle. Il abandonne la rigidité du costume sombre, il a quelque peu changé de coiffure. Le regard tout en restant d'une intensité inquiétante est plus lumineux. Par l'emploi d'une technique nouvelle, le pastel crayeux, des couleurs au bord de la saturation chromatique, des accents lumineux qui tombent sur les parties saillantes du visage,  il souligne l'expressivité rude de son apparition. La confrontation avec l'image offerte est très physique et domine en quelque sorte l'image mentale.   

 

More that any other works that express the vulnerability of a young artist striving to find himself, Léon Spilliaert's self-portraits dominate his early output.  In the series of self-portraits executed between September 1907 and November 1908 he embarked upon an intense spiritual and psychological quest to find the truth of his deepest self.

His interest in seeking his own image was already apparent in 1902 in a self-portrait in which he revealed the source of his literary, philosophical and musical references.  The self-portrait theme resurfaced at various key moments in his evolution as an artist and a human being.  Three years separate the portrait presented here and the last portrait at the edge of the abyss dated November 1908.

In 1911, Spilliaert adopted a new appearance.  He abandoned the severity of his dark suits and changed his hairstyle. Though his gaze retained its disturbing intensity, it became lighter. By using the new medium of chalky pastel, saturated colours, and bright accents to illuminate the important parts of the face, he emphasises the bold expressiveness of his appearance.  The viewer thus has a disarmingly physical confrontation with the presented image of the young artist.