self-portrait with straw hat
Gustave Caillebotte·1873
Historical Context
Self-portrait with Straw Hat (1873) is among Caillebotte's very earliest known works, painted when he was just twenty-five and had not yet begun his formal art training at the École des Beaux-Arts. The informal straw hat places the self-portrait in the outdoor, leisure-associated mode that would become important in his Yerres paintings. At this stage he was an amateur painter from a wealthy family, with no professional artistic ambitions yet formed — the self-portrait is among the first steps in what would become a rapid and remarkable artistic development.
Technical Analysis
The early date suggests a relatively unformed technique compared to Caillebotte's mature work, likely combining amateur academic training with direct observation. The straw hat creates an informal, outdoor character that anticipates his Yerres paintings of the mid-1870s. The self-portrait format demands a particular directness of observation that would contribute to his developing eye.
