Self-Portrait
Joshua Reynolds·1780
Historical Context
Reynolds painted this self-portrait around 1780, depicting himself at the height of his influence as first president of the Royal Academy, founded in 1768. Reynolds's Discourses on Art, delivered annually at the Academy, articulated the theoretical principles of the Grand Style that he promoted: the elevation of art through reference to classical models and the subordination of individual observation to ideal beauty. Now in the Royal Academy of Arts, the self-portrait shows the painter-intellectual who shaped British art theory for generations.
Technical Analysis
Reynolds employs a dark background with warm highlights on the face, channeling Rembrandt's chiaroscuro tradition. The academic robes are rendered with broad, confident brushstrokes, and the overall tone is one of sober authority.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice Reynolds referencing Rembrandt through the chiaroscuro — warm light on the face against deep shadow
- ◆Look at the academic robes rendered with broad, confident brushwork that asserts artistic authority
- ◆Observe the sober, dark palette — Reynolds presents himself as thinker, not socialite
- ◆Find the contrast with his portraits of sitters — the relaxed ease he gave others, he denies himself
- ◆Notice this self-portrait as a statement of intellectual rather than social identity
See It In Person
More by Joshua Reynolds
_with_Inigo_Jones_and_Charles_Blair_-_MET_DP213052.jpg&width=600)
The Honorable Henry Fane (1739–1802) with Inigo Jones and Charles Blair
Joshua Reynolds·1761–66
Lady Sarah Bunbury Sacrificing to the Graces
Joshua Reynolds·1763–65
Sir Thomas Rumbold, Bt.
Joshua Reynolds·1788
_and_Martha_Neate_(1741%E2%80%93after_1795)_with_His_Tutor%2C_Thomas_Needham_MET_DP168995.jpg&width=600)
Thomas (1740–1825) and Martha Neate (1741–after 1795) with His Tutor, Thomas Needham
Joshua Reynolds·1748
