Leon Wyczółkowski, Self-portrait in a toga and biretta

Wyczółkowski painted dozens of self-portraits in his life in various techniques - oil, pastel, watercolour and by means of printmaking. One can notice in them changes in the artist's appearance and the passage of time. They are a kind of diary of events and situations. Self-portrait in a toga and biretta made using watercolour on paper, the date of the portrait's creation is assumed to be 1912. Wyczółkowski depicted himself in the painting in bust, with his face straight ahead, trying to adopt a serious, even threatening expression. He is dressed in a blue toga and biretta, which is clearly meant to refer to his function as professor and rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. The blue-grey background has been treated schematically. The artist painted himself without glasses, with a grey beard and his characteristic curly moustache.