Self-portrait

This image by Cristino, one of the first self-portraits produced by the Romantic generation and a preparatory work for the group painting Cinco artistas em Sintra (Five Artists in Sintra), reveals an innovative approach towards the subject and to individual affirmation, characteristics of the new Romantic attitude. It is in the valorisation of the individual that Cristino, who, with his rebellious tendencies, the critics considered the most visionary and exalted of artists, found his direct connection with Romantic ideals. His elegant features underline the intensity of the look, the vigorous and resolute appearance, in contrast to the darkened backgrounds and bust that highlight a luminous and expressively detailed face. In this self-portrait, Cristino defines the parameters of a new identity, between individualism and egocentrism, idealism and the subject's pose, as the forms of expression of a modern psychological observation.