Self-Portrait

Strikingly tall and slender, Alexander was so well known that he was frequently caricatured in New York newspapers. "One could not look at his tall, slight figure, his delicate hands, or, above all, at his head, with its high-bred features, pointed beard, and curling mustache, without seeing in him a born aristocrat and wishing that he could be painted by Van Dyke," wrote Kenyon Cox after his death.

This dim portrait, with its wraithlike silhouette, is enhanced by a mysterious backlighting that seems to flicker. Theatrical lighting effects, often from below, characterize much of Alexander's work and link the paintings with his experiments in stage design. He also experimented with canvas texture. Dissatisfied with the material he found in Paris, he engaged French weavers to create a linen fabric whose texture resembled burlap. It became known as "Alexander" canvas, and the artist used it the rest of his life. As with this self-portrait, he delighted in its nubby imperfections, which he never attempted to obscure with paint.

According to a list of Alexander's paintings among his papers, this self-portrait was begun after October 1, 1901. It must have been completed by the early weeks of the next year in order to be ready for presentation to the Academy at the beginning of March 1902.