Francesco Paolo MichettiItalian, 1851–1929Self-Portrait
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “Self-Portrait” now? Collection: J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Not on view at present. Checked October 7, 2026.
Los Angeles, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Francesco Paolo Michetti chose to title this drawing *Scherzo* to reflect the intention behind his self-portrait. To express the idea of a *scherzo*, a sprightly musical composition or movement, Michetti applied his materials in a quick, gestural manner that conjures up the music's darting, skipping rhythms. The brilliance of Michetti's color, particularly the halo of white around his face, also evokes the *scherzo* 's liveliness. During the later 1800s, many artists believed in a concept known as *synesthesia*: that color and sound were so closely related that color could stimulate the sensation of sound and sound could stimulate the sensation of color. At age twenty-six, in the same year that one of his pictures received great public acclaim, Michetti drew multiple self-portraits. His direct gaze, the proud angle of his head, and the bravura handling convey his self-confidence.
J. Paul Getty Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 94.GG.48
In the catalog
Sources
- J. Paul Getty Museum
- Image: J. Paul Getty Museum — Open Content
![Keeper of the Turkeys [Gardeuse de dindons], Francesco Paolo Michetti, 1876](https://api.nga.gov/iiif/b65aea1a-262f-4ade-b0d0-b20fd7478731/full/!2400,2400/0/default.jpg)
