Self Portrait

Collection of the artist’s family

A prolific painter, William Goodridge Roberts returned to the motif of the self portrait many times throughout his life. Quite the opposite of self-aggrandizement, this work is a direct and honest depiction of the artist engaged in the act of painting. Roberts dips into expressionist territory using heightened colour and loose, gestural brushstrokes. However in contrast to expressionism, Roberts has adapted his palette to describe light and space, rather than to depict an intense emotional state. The artist’s face appears relaxed, yet keenly focused on his task. The cigarette, so often present in Roberts’ self portraits, adds to the candid atmosphere. This painting has been executed with the rapid, self-assured brushwork of an artist who has by this point spent decades developing his craft. This artwork presents a rare opportunity to acquire a large-format self portrait by Goodridge Roberts, one of the few of a larger size which remains in private hands.