Man’s Head with Blue Beret

Filiger used outlined shapes and cross-hatching to render this portrait of a man from Le Pouldu. The work is characteristic of the simplicity the artist applied in his search for the essence of his subjects. This painting, which seems to be a simple portrait of a fisherman, could in fact be a self-portrait. The artist often returned to a similar facial type in his painting: elongated and pensive, with an inward gaze. Filiger, the most cryptic painter of the Pont-Aven group, produced works filled with mysticism that call to mind both religious icons and stained glass.