Self-Portrait, Zakopane

Tracking the anguished contortions of the artist’s face, this trio of self-portraits reflect Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz’s fascination with photography’s privileged ability to represent a sitter’s psyche. Witkiewicz was an artist and author known for his bohemian lifestyle. Portraiture was especially important to the artist, who preferred to work in series, arguing that multiple images offered a fuller, more complex understanding of the sitter. This interest extended beyond painting and sketching to include photographs that the artist made as private experiments, which he often gifted to friends.