Young man in a black cap with shoulder-length brown hair looks over his shoulder against a gray-green background

Self-Portrait

Raphael, c. 1504–1506

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What you see

Raphael paints himself half-length, his body turned to the right, and turns his head to look at us over his shoulder. He wears a black cap and black clothes that almost dissolve into the shadow. The background is plain, with no objects or landscape. Everything leads to the pale, well-lit face and the dark eyes.

The palette is small: black, chestnut, gray-green and the light tone of the skin. The forms are soft and simple, with almost no detail in the clothing. Spot the long, slender neck, the thin white edge of the shirt showing at the neckline and the light that defines the nose and lips.

About Raphael

Raphael Sanzio was born in Urbino and learned painting very young from his father, who was also a painter. His gentle Madonnas and harmonious compositions made him famous in Florence and Rome, where he decorated the pope’s rooms. He lived only 37 years but left an enormous body of work.

All 11 works by Raphael