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Self-portrait
John Opiec.1794
Dulwich Picture Gallery
London, United Kingdom
The portraitist and history painter John Opie was introduced to London in 1781 as 'the Cornish Wonder'. Opie’s style was marked by strong realism, and striking contrasts of light and dark, a style he further developed after a visit to the Netherlands in 1786. In this work the influence of Rembrandt's self-portraits can clearly be seen in his dramatic chiaroscuro and generous use of impasto.
Opie’s self-portrait is displayed here next to Reynold’s Mrs Siddons as the Tragic Muse, a painting Opie is reputed to have described as the finest picture he had ever seen, “superior to any of the Titians.”
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Details
- Title: Self-portrait
- Creator Lifespan: 1761 - 1807
- Date: c.1794
- Physical Dimensions: w508 x h603 cm
- Type: Painting
- Medium: Oil
- Work Nationality: British
- Support: Canvas
- Provenance: London, Sir Francis Bourgeois, 1811; Bourgeois Bequest, 1811.
- Further Information: John Opie (1761-1807) was an acclaimed portraitist who drew praise from patrons and fellow artists alike. Joshua Reynolds compared him to Caravaggio and Velazquez and King George III is known to have purchased his work. Probably painted in c.1794, the sitter appears a few years older than in a self-portrait dated 1785 in the National Portrait Gallery and another in Tate Britain, dated c.1790. This work compares quite closely with a self-portrait of 1794, which is recorded in an enamel copy by Henry Bone sold at Bonham's, 19 March 1996, lot 87. The influence of Rembrandt's self-portraits can clearly be seen here in the dramatic chiaroscuro and generous use of impasto.
- Artist: Opie, John
- Acquisition Method: Bourgeois, Sir Peter Francis (Bequest, 1811)
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