Self-Portrait

William Etty 1787 - 1849

Summary

Left side head and chest portrait of the artist, William Etty. The subject is a young man with dark hair, his face sharply lit against a dark background. Etty wears a brown jacket, high collar white shirt and patterned cravat.

Display Label

Self Portrait 1825 William Etty 1787-1849 Oil on paper on canvas Painted at the request of his mother, this self portrait shows Etty aged about 38. It flatters the sitter by ignoring his smallpox scars and darkening his red hair. In the typically sensitive spirit of the Romantic age, the artist portrays himself as remote and thoughtful. This perhaps suggests an air of the dejection he felt upon repeated negative criticism of his nude subjects. The son of a baker, Etty studied under Thomas Lawrence, and his sensuous history subjects achieved great success. Through his study of Venetian old masters such as Titian he enlivened British art with a brighter palette. Gift of Sir Joseph Whitworth 1882.147