Self-Portrait with White Collar

Edgar Degas

National Gallery of Art

The face of a young man with peachy-colored skin and dark hair fills this vertical painting. The man is lit from our left but is angled to slightly to our right, so his face is mostly in shadow. He looks at us from the corners of large, dark eyes. He has a straight nose, and his full lips are set in a line. He has a moustache and a trimmed beard that appears to connect under his chin, though this area is loosely painted so details are difficult to make out. His black hair is parted to one side and curls in a wave over his high forehead. Dark lapels connect over a white undergarment or scarf around his neck. The background is filled in with a chestnut-brown wash, and brushstrokes are visible throughout.