Michetti portrayed himself in a wide-brimmed hat, a recurring iconographic element in his self-portraits. This Self-Portrait with Hat is in fact part of a series of Self-Portraits that Michetti produced between the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th century, a period in which the artist was experimenting with an increasingly summary, more immediate language. We might recall, for example, the Self-portrait, pastel and tempera on paper, circa 1877, Intesa Sanpaolo Collection[1] [Fig.  1] and the Self-portrait, 1888, oil on canvas, Museo di Capodimonte [Fig.  2], both very close to the artist’s appearance as rendered by a photograph of him together with the German merchant Reitlinger.[2] [Fig. 3.] One interesting feature of Michetti’s artistic process was his habit of studying the forms of reality through the medium of photography, with results of great modernity, anticipating the mixture of stimuli and suggestions in the transition between Realism and Symbolism that occurred between the 19^th and 20^th centuries.[3]

Of particular interest is the handwritten dedication to the painter Edoardo Tofano (Naples 1838 - Rome 1920), which gives the work a confidential epistolary dimension, testifying to the dense web of intellectual and artistic relationships that Michetti entertained with the cultural milieu of his time. After all, Michetti, with his interest in realism and a representation of popular life, did share a certain thematic and stylistic affinity with Tofano, who was devoted to genre scenes and portraiture.

The work is executed with a mixed technique that combines the freshness of pastel with the fluidity of watercolour. The artist exploits the tone of the brown paper support as a base colour, limiting himself to rapid and summary interventions, thus obtaining a more subtle atmospheric effect, highlighting his great ability to capture the expressive immediacy and luminist vibration, particular elements of his visual language. The work shows the influence of Impressionist portraiture, an area in which Michetti moved with ease, assimilating European propositions while maintaining his own independent stylistic code.

A painter deeply linked to his homeland, Abruzzo, his works – often inspired by folklore and local traditions – earned him major recognition in Italy, especially among the members of D’Annunzio’s famous clique.[1] The success achieved at the Universal Expositions (for instance, the gold medal obtained in Paris in 1878 with The Vote) and the favour of contemporary critics brought him great renown even if his works were mainly collected in Italy.

However, in recent decades, there has been a renewed focus on his work, with interest from major international museum institutions and foreign collectors alike. This change is linked to a broader process of rediscovery of Italian naturalism and those figures who contributed significantly to the evolution of modern painting. This critical and commercial revaluation today places Michetti in a firmer position on the international art scene, giving him back the recognition he deserves as one of the most original interpreters of Italian painting between the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

His works are part of the collections of several prestigious international museums, such as:
Getty Museum, Los Angeles, USA; Washington National Gallery of Art, USA; Art Institute of Chicago, IL, USA; Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary, as well as various Italian museums, including: National Gallery of Modern Art (GNAM) in Rome and the Gallery of Modern Art (GAM) in Milan.

.     

---

---