Description of the painting by Jacques-Louis David “Self-portrait” (1794)

Description of the painting by Jacques Louis David Self portrait (1794)

This picture shows us the character and appearance of Jacques-Louis David, how the artist himself felt. He wanted the audience to recognize in him a man of strong-willed, restrained, passionate and inclined to spiritual impulse. One need only look at the artist’s self-portrait in order to understand the reasons why he joined the revolutionaries and fiercely supported their beliefs.

This work gives us the opportunity to appreciate and feel how amazing the portraitist and historical artist was Jacques-Louis David. His gaze expresses at the same time insight and agitation.

David had an amazing gift that distinguished him from other people. This is his curiosity. The artist tried to give “Self-portrait” this quality and at the same time give his image a great power. This can be judged by fingers, firmly and confidently holding a brush and a palette. The artist was inherent in almost animal passion with which he comprehended the meaning and purpose of reality. And it is clearly readable in self-portrait, gazing at us intently and impudently. The portrait painter wanted to unravel human nature, while the historical artist wanted to give this knowledge an ideal form.

The picture we considered was written in the best traditions of creating portraits. The artist focuses more on facial expressions and the position of his hands, adding only a few minor details to the exposition. This allows you to not be distracted by the secondary, and concentrate on the most important. He rethinks the manner of writing of Rembrandt and Titian and adds a modern style and a special sincerity to his technique. Not by chance, thanks to the painting “Self-portrait”, Jacques-Louis David was recognized as one of the outstanding artists in such a serious and laborious genre of fine art, requiring the deepest self-examination.


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Description of the painting by Jacques-Louis David “Self-portrait” (1794)