Hubert Drouais, the Artist's father

Hubert Drouais, the artist"s own father and fellow painter, appears in this 1760 portrait at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Hubert Drouais the elder was a competent painter of pastel portraits who trained his son in the basics of portraiture before sending him to study under the leading masters of the day. This portrait of a father by his son represents a personal document within Drouais"s professional output. Drouais was among the most successful portraitists of pre-Revolutionary France, working in the tradition of his father Hubert Drouais and studying under Carle van Loo, Natoire, and Boucher before establishing himself at court.

The filial portrait shows Drouais rendering his father"s aging features with a combination of respect and the naturalistic observation that family familiarity permits. The handling may be more relaxed than in commissioned portraits, reflecting the personal nature of the sitting. The palette is warm and sympathetic, with the elder painter"s face illuminated against a dark background in the standard portrait format.