Self Portrait of the Artist as a Deaf Man
Joshua Reynolds·1775
Historical Context
Self-Portrait as a Deaf Man from 1775 at the Buffalo AKG Museum shows Reynolds addressing his progressive hearing loss. The ear trumpet he holds acknowledges his disability with characteristic dignity and wit. Reynolds built his portraits using multiple glazed layers over a warm imprimatura, blending Rembrandt's tonal depth with Van Dyck's aristocratic elegance—though his experimental use of bitumen and carmine often caused irreversible darkening.
Technical Analysis
The self-portrait presents the artist with characteristic warmth and directness. Reynolds's handling of his own features demonstrates both self-knowledge and artistic authority.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the ear trumpet Reynolds holds — the central prop that makes this self-portrait unique among his self-portraits
- ◆Look at how he acknowledges his progressive deafness with characteristic dignity and unsentimental honesty
- ◆Observe the warm treatment he gives himself — neither more nor less flattering than the treatment he gave his sitters
- ◆Find the confident academic bearing that asserts his authority as painter-intellectual despite the disability
- ◆Notice the unusual candor of a man who made his living from creating flattering images acknowledging his own weakness
See It In Person
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