Alfred LENICA (1899–1977), Self-Portrait

watercolor, pencil, paper; 21 x 21 cm;
signed lower right: lenica

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

This portrait is direct and understated. The artist’s face is depicted in full profile and rendered primarily with dark outlines and broad patches of color. Distinct accents in the hair, eyes, and clothing draw attention to the figure, while the background remains only subtly highlighted. There is no ornamentation or meticulous modeling here. Lenica focuses on the structure of the face and the characteristic arrangement of its features. Within a body of work dominated by abstractions and landscape studies, this self-portrait stands as a particularly personal example of the figurative side of his art.