Self Portrait with Two Circles is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch artist Rembrandt, painted c. 1665–69. In it, he is seen at work, holding his palette, brushes, and maulstick. The painting is notable for its monumentality and for an enigmatic background consisting of a shallow space with the fragments of two circles. It is the most ambitious self-portrait in which he is depicted at work and is considered a masterpiece of his last years. Self Portrait with Two Circles is one of more than 40 self-portraits Rembrandt painted and one of a number of depictions in several media dating... at least from 1629 that show him at work drawing, etching, or painting. He wears a fur-lined robe, beneath which is a red garment. On his head is a white hat, similar to that worn in several other late self-portraits. Unlike other late self-portraits, in Self Portrait with Two Circles, Rembrandt, with one hand on his hip, appears confrontational and even defiant. The impression is that of a master solemnly asserting his genius. As in many of the artist's late works, the painting is characterized by an improvisational handling, with details that read as unfinished.
more