Self-Portrait with his Family in Front of Their House - Maurice Denis

A 1916 self-portrait by Maurice Denis, depicting the artist at his easel within the garden of his family home, Le Prieuré.

Maurice Denis, a central figure in the Nabis movement, painted this self-portrait in 1916. The work captures the artist at his easel, positioned in the garden of his home, Le Prieuré, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Denis presents himself in the foreground, his gaze directed toward the viewer, while his family occupies the background. The composition is structured around the architectural elements of the house and the surrounding garden walls, which create a sense of domestic enclosure. The painting reflects the artist's interest in decorative surfaces and flattened perspective, characteristics common to his later work. The colour palette is dominated by warm, earthy tones, particularly the terracotta hues of the stone walls and the soft light that bathes the scene. The trees, with their bare, rhythmic branches, frame the house and add a sense of seasonal transition to the composition. Denis includes his wife and children in the middle distance, integrating them into the garden setting as part of the overall decorative arrangement. Unlike his earlier, more symbolic works, this painting leans into a personal, observational mode. The brushwork is deliberate, building up the surface of the canvas with a texture that suggests the tactile quality of the stone and the foliage. The inclusion of the easel and sketchbook serves to remind the viewer of the act of painting itself, positioning the artist as both observer and participant in his own domestic sphere. This work offers a glimpse into the private life of a painter who spent much of his career exploring the intersection of religious themes, classical tradition, and modern decorative sensibilities.