Pat Steir

In this sketchy, powerful self-portrait, energetic marks of the etching needle are overlaid with thicker lines scratched directly into the plate in drypoint. As the title declares, Steir responded to printed portraits by Rembrandt, using his style and techniques to distort her own features.

The print merges Steir’s interest in the self and its place in history. While living in Amsterdam she became interested in the work of Dutch masters, but she has also explored her identity by depicting herself in the style of Dürer, Goya, and Picasso. Steir likens this process to an art historian’s work or to the experience of a pianist expressing herself through the music of others.