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During his stay in Rome in 1905, Gulácsy painted Verlaine's portrait in honour of the decadent and symbolic French artist. He worked in Paris in 1906 where he met the achievements of French art before the turn of the century. His attention was attracted by less objective portrayals which were not so strongly defined by rules of logic. He wanted to find a suitable expression to match emotions. "Self-Portrait with Hat" reflects the artist's purposes very well. One can see the delicate grey and green of the sky in the upper third of the picture, and Gulácsy in the lower two thirds. His head with a wide rimmed hat rises over the horizon as if to symbolize that his thoughts are far away. Details of the picture are rather vague, they are only indications but not statements. After thorough study of the picture, Gulácsy's inner and outer features are clearly visible and comprehensible.
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