Both generations of Slovenian realists brought the painting studio into production as an exciting and hallowed environment for artistic creation. Janez Šubic’s self-portrait paintings are subdued and betray no information about the environment he worked in, while in drawings they are far less restrained and turn into caricatures. This painting was likely produced at the same time as the gallery of portraits depicting his family members and close friends in dark hues (1880), when he remained at home for a year after concluding studies at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts.