Archibald John Motley Jr.

Self-Portrait (Myself at Work)

Self-Portrait (Myself at Work) offers a powerful yet nuanced and complex depiction of Archibald Motley Jr. and his endeavor to challenge stereotypical depictions of Black subjecthood during a time of transformative social effervescence. While it might appear straightforward at a glance, the painting features no clear focal point, and thus impels our gaze to scan the entirety of Motley’s studio, pondering what relation each object has to the artist. Motley depicts himself elegantly dressed in a chore coat and sporting a sophisticated beret and goatee. The painter steadily meets our gaze as his brush hovers above the outline of a nude. On his opposite hand, a multi-colored palette suggests the many colors and tones required to render the human figure. A crucifix in the background signals his relatively affluent Catholic upbringing and echoes the restraint and dignity of his face. The interior space is sparse, decorated by only a few objects that hint at Motley’s taste and education. A plaster mask above his head, for instance, refers to his formal training at one of the foremost art schools in the country, while a good luck charm black elephant and a classical statuette reveal his cosmopolitanism. As the title summarizes, the work portrays Motley as a painter at work, challenging and redefining the possibilities of American portraiture.