Self-portrait
1899. Oil on canvas.Not on display
The artist painted himself at the age of 38. It is a short bust against a neutral background. He has a self-absorbed attitude and concentrates all of his expression on his melancholy, tired, light eyes, which are visible through a pair of vaulted glasses. He wears a grey jacket and a wide tie pattered with shades of blue.
Like many other artists of the Restoration period, Díaz Molina chiefly devoted himself to portraiture. He received numerous commissions from official bodies such as Madrid City Hall, which commissioned him to continue and complete its Gallery of Portraits of Mayors. Between 1898 and 1913 he was almost exclusively a supplier to the Madrid City Council, painting up to 14 portraits of mayors of Madrid.
The artist painted self-portraits on several occasions throughout his life. Thus, his own face served as a field of experimentation in the art of portraiture, a very common practice among painters in the late 19th century.
This profound and sincere self-portrait is far removed from the conventionalism and rigidity that characterises official portraits and highlights the artist´s undeniable talent for this genre, as well as his ability to capture the sitter’s thoughts. It is a loosely executed and sober work of great naturalness, executed by the painter when he was in the fullness and maturity of his artistic production.
Artistas pintados: retratos de pintores y escultores del siglo XIX en el Museo del Prado, Madrid, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura, Dirección Gener, 1997, p.166
