In 1951, Raveel painted this remarkable self-portrait. We recognise his facial features that seem to disappear in the texture of the paint. The painter poses gravely seated on a chair; it is possible he used his free hand - not visible in the picture - to sketch the image as a signature, while looking into a mirror. The dark green colour of the wall provides a counterbalance to the deliberately unfilled torso in which lines of a coat are visible in pencil. The angled lines of the skirting board and wooden floor add dynamism to the composition. Raveel's hair appears ‘combed’ in black paint with the pointed underside of his brush.