In this painting, Rufino Tamayo pushes the limits of representation and self-identification. The artist painted few self-portraits over his long career, although scholars have identified several works in which there are suggestions that Tamayo may have included depictions of himself. His earliest painted self- portraits, executed in 1927 and 1931, are closely cropped to his face, with young painter staring out directly at the viewer. In this later self-portrait Tamayo has reduced the individualizing features of the subject. The artist represents himself only with his hand, one of his primary tools as an artist. To the right, a keyhole outline perhaps invokes a female presence. Here, Tamayo re-envisions the self-portrait through the use of color and simplified forms.