Self-Portrait

Self-Portrait from 1906 at the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection in Zurich shows Vuillard turning his intimist method on himself — and finding the same analytical equanimity he brought to his portraits of others. Unlike the self-consciously dramatic self-images of Courbet or the psychologically raw ones of van Gogh, Vuillard's self-scrutiny is calm and observational, the painter present within his environment rather than theatrically foregrounded. The Bührle Collection's notable French holdings provide important Swiss private collection context for this rarely seen work.

Vuillard renders himself without flattery but with the same quality of attention he brought to any sitter — the face built from small color marks that describe specific light effects rather than idealized features. The surrounding environment receives treatment equal to the face, the self-portrait being less about psychological revelation than about the painter's presence within a particular visual field.