Untitled (Self-Portrait)

Born in New York City as Philip Blashki, Evergood was raised in his mother’s native England. To avoid prejudice, the family changed its name to Evergood when he was thirteen. After schooling and art studies in England and Paris, he attended the Art Students League in New York, where he studied with George Luks. Trained in the gritty realism of the Ashcan School, Evergood was known early in his career for scenes of everyday life charged with political and social commentary. In the 1950s, his subject matter turned from labor and social unrest to biblical and mythological symbolism, as well as to personal and erotic fantasies. Throughout his career Evergood explored his self-image and produced many self-portraits. Evergood’s later painting technique became more linear and expressionistic. In this self-portrait, the artist’s large eyes, boldly painted in broad black brushstrokes, beckon the viewer to enter his fantasy world.