Self-Portrait

Charles Conder 1868 - 1909

Summary

A self-portrait of the artist, as a view of his bust from the left, with his head turned three-quarters to front, but looking outward to the viewer. He is dressed in dark brown jacket and tie, white shirt, and has red hair and moustache.

Display Label

Self-Portrait about 1895 – 1900 Charles Conder 1868 - 1909 Oil on millboard Before he married in 1901, Conder led a bohemian life of excessive drinking and debauchery. Apparently he was naturally suspicious, and even devious, characteristics which may be read into this self-portrait. The French inscription refers to the long friendship between Condor and William Rothenstein (1872 - 1945). The two artists first met as students in Paris in 1890. Rothenstein acted as Conder’s representative in London, overseeing the framing of pictures he sent from France. The portrait may date from when Condor was recuperating from one of his severe bouts of syphilitic-derived illness. His paintings of this time are full of tension, suggesting an awareness that they could be his last. Charles Lambert Rutherston gift 1925.291