Technical information
- Title : Self-Portrait, 1935
- Date : 1935
- Technique : Oil on canvas
- Dimensions : 61 × 50 cm
- Location : Private collection *
Biographical / historical context
A self‑portrait dated and claimed by the artist (“my portrait” on the reverse) is a major milestone for documenting the early period of the corpus. In 1935, Breuillaud commits to an exercise that is both technical (likeness, modelling, light) and identitary: a frontal portrait that provides a chronological and stylistic marker, well before the simplifications and planar constructions that will characterize the post‑war cycles.
The work is a half‑length, vertical portrait in which the painter depicts himself in everyday attire. The sober iconography and the absence of narrative décor reinforce the idea of a reference image, conceived to endure over time rather than to illustrate an episode.
Formal / stylistic description
Against a neutral brown‑grey ground animated by broad circular brushings, the head and bust stand out without accessories. The face, slightly turned, is framed rather high and occupies the exact centre of the composition. The gaze does not confront the viewer head‑on: the eyes seem subtly offset, as if held in silent reflection. The expression remains restrained, almost melancholic, emphasized by the closed mouth and the softened modelling of the cheeks.
A dark, wide‑brimmed hat in deep green introduces a clear diagonal: its brim cuts across the forehead and casts a shadow over the left eye, discreetly dramatizing the light. The clothing is treated in pale tones (a beige‑grey coat), while a multicoloured scarf (muted reds, blues, and greens) concentrates the chromatic vibration at the neck. These cool/warm accords remain contained: the palette favours half‑tones, with a few flushes on the cheekbones and nose that give the face a vivid presence.
The touch appears fine and constructed, without showy impasto: modelling transitions are achieved through superimpositions and gentle rubbings, while the background retains visible brush traces that enhance the materiality. Contours are not drawn with a line but obtained through value contrasts, giving the portrait a classical sobriety, despite a perceptible freedom in the handling of the ground. The signature “Breuillaud” with the date “35” is legible at the lower left.
Comparative analysis / related works
This self‑portrait stands apart from the post‑war works through its naturalism and the importance given to facial modelling. By contrast, it clarifies Breuillaud’s later evolution: where the PR1/PR2 cycles will tend toward simplified features and the construction of space through coloured planes, the artist here privileges the continuity of volumes and an enveloping light.
The hat’s diagonal and the reserve of an almost “abstract” ground (circular brushings) nonetheless suggest a sensitivity to structure and rhythm: even in a still classical register, the image is conceived as a precisely hierarchized composition of masses (dark hat, light face, coloured scarf).
Justification of dating and attribution
The 1935 dating is doubly secured: by the signature and the date “35” visible on the front, and by the inscription on the reverse (work signed, dated 1935 and noted “my portrait”). This autograph mention strengthens the attribution to André Breuillaud and the identification of the subject as a self‑portrait.
A photograph of the reverse (handwriting, exact placement of the inscriptions) would make it possible to record these elements precisely in the file.
© Bruno Restout — Catalogue raisonné André Breuillaud