Self-Portrait

John Steuart Curry, born Dunavant, KS 1897-died Madison, WI 1946 · 1928

The intense stare and looming presence of this self-portrait reveal Curry’s confidence at a turning point in his career. In 1927 he had returned to the United States after studying drawing in Paris, and a year later his paintings had attained national acclaim. Here Curry’s draftsmanship corresponds with his artistic success. The bold lines and powerful swaths of shadow drawn with the broad side of the charcoal reveal the artist’s increasing self-assurance.