.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Gertrude Abercrombie’s Self-Portrait, painted in 1934, is a prime example of the artist’s exploration of both familiar motifs as well as self-portraits. A striking and stoic painting, Self-Portrait depicts Abercrombie, visible only from the chest up, in three-quarter profile. Her jaw is tightly clenched, and her large hands clutch a black cat: a classic motif in her work. Both Abercrombie and the cat stare intently beyond the canvas, both the deep eyes of the sitter and the yellow eyes of the cat sharply piercing and engaging the viewer.
Heavily influenced by her past, Abercrombie infuses objects of personal significance into her work, whether that be depictions of familiar scenes and objects, or a self-portrait. Keeping true to both her signature style and motifs, Abercrombie states about her work, “I am not interested in complicated things nor in the commonplace, I like to paint simple things that are a little strange."
Heavily influenced by her past, Abercrombie infuses objects of personal significance into her work, whether that be depictions of familiar scenes and objects, or a self-portrait. Keeping true to both her signature style and motifs, Abercrombie states about her work, “I am not interested in complicated things nor in the commonplace, I like to paint simple things that are a little strange."