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Portrait of an Artist, ca. 1786
Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828)
Oil on canvas; 10 5/8 x 8 7/8 in. (29 x 22.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fletcher Fund, 1926 (26.16))
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Self
Portrait
Let’s look closely at this small painting.
What part of a portrait do I paint first?
Where did I repeat the colors brown and rose?
What kinds of brushstrokes did I use to paint my jaw, my hair, and my rosy cheek?
(Use the Zoom and Enlarge buttons to
get a closer look.)
This is a portrait of myself I painted when I was
about thirty years old. As you can see, I first
finish a person’s face before painting the body or any
background. For this portrait I decided to show just
my head and a bit of my white shirt. I used a small,
blunt brush to outline my angular jaw, my large nose,
and arched eyebrows. My messy hair, rosy cheeks, and
sunken eyes are made of thin layers of oil paint that
I brushed on with quick, light strokes.
Fun
Fact
In the summer of 1775, when I was nineteen, I sailed for London.
I first supported myself as a church organist. After about two
years I became an assistant to the esteemed American artist,
Benjamin West (1738–1820). Over the next decade, I became
one of the most celebrated painters in London.
Did you know?
Many
people hired me to paint what they looked like and document
their personality and interests. You can see some of these portraits
on the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.
Above: Horatio Gates,
ca. 1793–94; Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755–1828);
Oil on canvas; 44 1/4 x 35 7/8 in. (112.4 x 91.1 cm); The
Metropolitan Museum of Art; Gift of Lucille S. Pfeffer, 1977
(1977.243)
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