Self-Portrait

Murayama Kaita died at the young age of 22. In his short life, Murayama produced numerous powerful paintings. This is thought to be the last self-portrait he completed in oil. It was painted a year before the artist’s death. It is painted with an abundance of his favorite colors, red and purple, overlapped with images of blood and sunlight. Murayama was already quite ill with tuberculosis at this time. Although a self-portrait sketched during the same period shows him with a worn out expression, obviously fighting his illness, this particular painting dose not suggest any trace of weakness. Moreover, it shows an undaunted figure with a strong impression of powerful will. The eyes of the artist looking intently at himself are preserved in this painting.