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Details: Category: Self-Portraits

Late Self Portrait Drawings

Many changes in technique, more impressionistic, multiple perspectives, gradual loss of fine motor skills.

Details: Category: Self-Portraits

Ealy Self Portratis

Philadelphia Years

utermohlen 1955 self-portrait i charcoal pencil 27x20cm bob

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1955

charcoal and pencil on paper, 270x200mm

utermohlen 1955 self-portrait ii pencil charcaol watercolor 275x200mm bob

Self Portrait Seated

William Utermohlen, 1955

pencil, charcoal and watercolor on paper, 275x200mm

utermohlen 1955 self-portrait pencil 27x35cm

Self Portrait Cross Legged

William Utermohlen, 1955

pencil on paper, 270x350mm

utermohlen 1955 self-portrait pencil-28x21cm bob

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1955

pencil on paper, 280x210mm

utermohlen 1956 self-portrait small ink 125x75mm bob

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1956

ink on paper, 125x75mm

utermohlen 1957 self-portrait half length pencil col joynes chicago

Self Portrait Half Length

William Utermohlen, 1957

pencil on paper

Collection Joynes, Chicago

utermohlen 1957 self-portrait oil on board

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1957

oli on board, 300x220mm

utermohlen 1957 self-portrait pencil watercolor 30x22cm coll mahieux paris

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1957

pencil and watercolor on paper, 300x220mm

Collection Mahieux, Paris

utermohlen 1967 self-portrait technique mixte sur papier 265x200mm coll elan pharmaceuticals

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1967

mixed media on paper, 265x200mm

Collection Elan Pharmaceuticals

utermohlen 1969 autoportrait aux lunettes crayon 27x37cm

Self Portrait with Glasses

William Utermohlen, 1969

pencil on paper, 270x370mm

utermohlen 1972 self portrait oil on canvas

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1972

oil on canvas,

utermohlen 1977 photo

Self Portrait

William Utermohlen, 1977

photo

utermohlen 1977 self-portrait in the studio 106x71cm

Self Portrait in the Studio

William Utermohlen, 1977

oil on canvas, 1060x710mm

utermohlen 1977 self-portrait split oil charcoal photograph on gesso on canvas 255x200mm bob

Self Portrait Split

William Utermohlen, 1977

photograph, oil, gesso, charcoal on canvas, 255x200mm

Self-portraits

Details: Category: Self-Portraits

Early Self Portraits

Late Self Portraits

Late Self Portrait Drawings

This text is exerpted from Pat Utermohlen's 2006 essay on Bill's work.

William was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 1995 and was immediately put on to a new drug which had to be monitored. We regularly attended the neurological hospital in Queen’s Square where we were fortunate to find in nurse Ron Isaacs, who regularly assessed him, a sympathetic listener. William, bravely began to paint himself, desperately trying to understand what was happening to his mind. As the pictures progressed he showed them to Nurse Isaacs and other members of the group who were attending him, all of whom were part of Dr Rossor’s team. They found them clinically interesting and they asked permission to create a paper for the ‘Lancet’. In these pictures we see with heart-breaking intensity William’s efforts to explain his altered self, his fears and his sadness. The great talent remains, but the method changes. He sometimes uses water-colour and paints a series of masks, perhaps because he could more quickly express his fear. In both the oils and water-colours these marvellous self portraits express his desperate attempt to understand his condition. There is a new freedom of expression, the paint is applied more thickly, art-historically speaking the artist seems less linear and classical, more expressionist, and I see ghosts of his German heritage. William is still alive, but can no longer draw and seems to have withdrawn into a solitary and private world, sometimes making sounds which I imagine for him is talking, and very occasionally, I believe he recognises me.

To see the self-portraits you can scroll down this page or to see the slideshow click here.

self portrait with mug