As we can see by the landscape in the background, this composition was painted in the studio of his friend, the painter Armand Guillaumin. The self-portrait reveals an anxious, almost apprehensive image of the artist. C┼╜zanne was at that time living through a difficult period of his career and life. Despite his attempts to submit, year after year, his paintings to the Salon's Selection Committee, he was rejected by all the official art establishments, and had become discouraged by the struggle. His private life was not much happier: the clandestine birth of his son made daily life uncomfortable and impoverished the meagre allowance granted by his father. The romantic and passionate artist had given way to a worried albeit maturing individual. C┼╜zanne was about thirty-four years old. The anxious features of his face, half hidden by a thick brown beard, and his baldness, are depicted in a detailed, unembellished manner. The thick paint, applied vigorously in large brush stokes, and patches of colour applied with a palette, further accentuate the gravity of this self-portrait.
