Artists' Portraits & Self-Portraits

Berthe Morisot with a bouquet
of violets (1872), Manet

Self-Portrait (1885),
Morisot

French painter, Berthe Morisot was a young subject of Édouard Manet, here dressed in all black. Years later, Morisot painted this rather impressionistic self-portrait using more muted colors and perhaps showing her age.

Which portrait do you like better?

Self-Portrait with palette
(1878-9), Manet

Manet himself then painted himself holding a palette and paint brush, again using dark colors. Does it seem odd that he is dressed formally and with a black fedora, tie, and jacket?

Self-Portrait with a Beret
(1886), Monet

Claude Monet sported a beret in this early self-portrait. It surprises me how only a bit of blue accompanies a rather boring color palette for Monet's portrait. Note how as a much younger man Monet can paint with full focus and precision, as opposed to later in life when his eyesight began to fade.

Self-Portrait (1888), Gauguin

Paul Gauguin also painted several self-portraits. Here is the self-portrait that Van Gogh challenged him to paint, along with his painting of mutual friend, Émile Bernard (in the background). The reference to Les Misérables refers to Gauguin's insistence that his life was like that of the book's hero, Jean Valjean. The Post-Impressionist livened up his portrait with a yellow floral background in homage to its recipient, his friend Vincent.

Self-Portrait with palette (1890),
Cezanne

Paul Cezanne did his share of self-portraits, including this one 'with palette'. What I enjoy about this is how Cezanne, who has been identified as a Post-Impressionist, makes use of multiple colors in his palette, face and neck, and even as decoration (and balance) on the reverse side of the canvas he's painting.

So much livelier and more engaging than Manet's rather monochromatic composition in brown and black! 

Self-Portrait #1 (1894), Beaux

I actually prefer this realistic self-portrait by Cecilia Beaux to Morisot's impressionistic portrait. I enjoy the use of earthtones and the treatment of lights and darks, highlighting her face. While the golden-brown background is what one might see in a professional photograph, she has created offsetting visual interest with the striped pattern of her dress.

Somehow, I prefer the character of older self-portraits of Renoir to those of the younger man. Here, his palette is less colorful than a typical Renoir, though the facial highlights seem to be channeling Rembrandt. I like Renoir's choice of warmer tones for the face and background. I especially like his pork-pie style hat! No fedora or palette in this one though!!

After visiting a Travel and Adventure Expo in Seattle this month, I became interested in Kenya. Besides the attraction of a safari for viewing animals in the wild, I think a visit to Kenya would provide a window into the culture (and art) of Kikuyu, the Bantu people native to Central Kenya.

Kikuyu Man (1908-10),
Gallen-Kallela

This portrait of a Kenyan man is by Akseli Gallen-Kallela and was painted early in the 20th century. Here, the subject is dark with a golden yellow background, as if the sun is shining on the back of the figure. The foliage and subtle brushstrokes give the impression of a somewhat barren grassy field.

I show this portrait because it shows art at the tail end of the time period of the other portraits of the late 19th century. Though not a self-portrait, the artist has captured the personality of his subject without forcing a formal pose.

Self-Portrait (1943), le Doux

I include this self-portrait by Charles Picart le Doux in comparison the that of Édouard Manet. Like Manet, le Doux painted self-portraits, portraits of family and friends, still lifes, landscapes, and even murals. His work also reminds me of Impressionists Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin (above), obviously with a more limited palette!

With a simple diagonal line, he suggests that he's working on a canvas.

Please note that I purposely excluded the artists who are more well-known for painting self-portraits -- specifically Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo.

Pet Portraits

Jeju, the Korean village dog

Bodhi, the 7-month-old kitten

This post is inspired by the mini animal portraits I painted on wooden cookies that I gifted to family and friends as Christmas ornaments this year. The family pets made me want to delve deeper into animal portraits painted by famous artists.

Chloe, the dog

Sexy Rexy, the cat

Next, are the Rosemarys' cat and dog, taken from rather blurry photos in a small Christmas card collage.

Shock, the dog

Maze, the dog

The next pair of dogs belong to my neighbors, Amber & Max Staples. I had promised them actual full-size portraits, but I haven't gotten around to painting them yet. 

Cookie, the dog

Kya, the dog

The final pair of my mini portraits are of my daughter's mother-in-law's dog, Kya and my friends' dog, Cookie.

I must say that these were challenging to paint with acrylics at this small scale!

Now that I've admitted my lackluster ability to paint detailed animal portraits on wooden cookies, I need to show you what my uber-talented older brother has accomplished digitally using MS Paint 3D. He recently completed a collage of all of his son's family pets. Amazing!

Head of a Dog (1876), Manet

Head of a Dog (1930), Munch

So, clearly, we Pattersons have some talent, though not professional artists. My brother can certainly compete with the likes of Manet and Munch! Manet's portrait is in oils (another challenge) in a blending of Realism and Impressionism styles. Compare Munch's dog, also in oils, in the Expressionist style.

Le Chat Tigre (1863),
Rousseau

I usually like the works of Henri Rousseau, although his striped cat reminds me of the works of some of the novice seniors whom I've taught through volunteering at Paws with Cause. Let's compare side-by-side. I think it's encouraging to first-time painters to see the works of more famous artists.

My Commissioned Portrait

Sitting Dog on a Pillow
(1855), Courbet

I appreciate Gustave Courbet's rendering of a dog sitting on a pillow, and happy to compare it to one of my own commissioned works. Although his portrait is in oils and mine in acrylics, I think I prefer mine for its brightness. I've even captured the dog's apparent cataracts!

I'd like to finish this topic with one of the lesser-known paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. I know it's not a pet portrait, but it certainly captures the expression of the animal using the artist's recognizable style and brushstrokes. Apparently, it is one of two cow paintings from 1882-83.

 

Lying Cow (1883), Van Gogh

Please check out my other animal portrait posts: Animal Art & Wildlife Photography (May 2020); Animal Portraits (Oct 2021); Animal Portraits with Seniors (Nov 2021); Making Connections with Artists & Animals (Dec 2021); Cats in the World of Art & Painting (Jan 2022); and Animal Portraits Revisited (Jan 2022).

Still Life with Puppies, etc.

Still Life with Three Puppies
(1888), Gauguin

This post is inspired by one of Paul Gauguin's lesser-known paintings, entitled "Still Life with Three Puppies". It caused me to research the topic of obscure, maybe out of character works by famous artists. While Gauguin is famous for painting native Tahitian woman, I found it very strange that he would consider painting, of all subjects, puppies. Upon further study, it's true that Gauguin often included horses and dogs in his landscapes. You may also find an occasional cat or bird.

Apparently, the artist was influenced by the Japanese prints that Van Gogh brought to him, along with children's book illustrations. The puppies must have been just born, as they are disproportioned to the goblets and fruit arranged on the tabletop. I love the pattern captured in the tablecloth! The dark blue outlines mimic its botanical print, with the shapes repeated on the dogs' coats.

Woman Walking in a Garden (1887), Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh also had a few paintings in which he departed from his usual style of expressive brushstrokes, making him seem calmer and his palette more monochromatic. The sunny yellow skirt is surely reminiscent of Vincent!

Still Life with Apples, Pears, Lemons and Grapes
(1887), Van Gogh

His Still Life with Apples, Pears, Lemons and Grapes is also an interesting choice of subject for Vincent, as with his friend, Gauguin's experiment with Still Life. Only the background has his characteristic mesmerizing, swirling brushstrokes. I am amazed that I can still find these gems, after studying my favorite artist for so many years!

Sunflowers (1887), Van Gogh

One of Van Gogh's most prolific subjects was sunflowers. In more than a dozen of his paintings, the sunflowers are arranged in vases on tabletops. Other than his paintings of crabs, I hadn't recalled this version of (dead) flowers. I like that he chose a blue background color and less-vibrant yellow for the subject!

Other researchers of this topic put Edvard Munch's The Scream, Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans, and Marcel Duchamp's Fountain into this category, but I don't agree. These are still classics and immediately recognizable to everyone who see them.

The Table (1920), Miró 

As you know, Joan Miró is another of my favorite artists. His The Table shows a still life primarily in yellow and black, with a very graphic array of geometric shapes. This is a certain departure from his minimalistic grouping of symbols in black and the three primary colors. Like The Farm (1921), this is a very busy composition!

Still Life with Old Shoe (1937), Miró 

Then there's Miró's Still Life with Old Shoe. I absolutely love this non-traditional 'still life'! It's like he airbrushed the colors. Again, I don't know why I hadn't ever seen this painting before! He even added green to the mix of colors!! It reminds me of the charcuterie board my daughter made for Thanksgiving, along with the pumpkin made of puff pastry-covered brie cheese (foreground lower left?).

Oysters (1862), Manet

The final three examples may be described as still life's though they include a solitary subject, rather than being composed of various unlike items. I'll begin with Édouard Manet's Oysters. His composition also included a plate, a fork, a halved lemon, and a dipping sauce. The dark table and charcoal grey background make the objects appear to float.

Still Life with Golden Breams (1812), de Goya

Also, a still life composed primarily of a pile of dying fish, here is Francisco de Goya's Still Life with Golden Bream. Some have said that it "emblematic of the human bloodshed brought on by Spain's war with France". I'm not sure what possessed de Goya to paint such a thing! I'm reminded of Andrew Wyeth's study of a dead squirrel, in which he smears blood on his painting.

Mound of Butter (1885), Vollon

Finally, I am including this Mound of Butter! A painting by Antoine Vollon, it is simply a knife stuck in some butter on a platter, on a table with two eggs. Maybe this image sparked Steven Spielberg to use Devil's Tower as the image that haunted Richard Dreyfuss' character in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)!

Famous Portraits of Children

The Age of Innocence (1788),
Reynolds

Now that I've been blogging for over six years, many of my favorite artworks have appeared in multiple posts. I apologize if you've already read about these common subjects. My love of portraits began with Rembrandt, who famously painted 75 self-portraits. As I became an art docent in my daughter's elementary school classrooms, I was exposed to many more talented portraitists, including Sir Joshua Reynolds, Principal Painter to the King. This painting may be of the artist's great niece. It was featured in my November 2022 post entitled, Famous Artists & Paintings -- By Century.

Lady Caroline Howard (1778),
Reynolds

Ten years earlier, Reynolds painted the portrait of Lady Caroline Howard, which was used early on in the art docent program in which I taught. See Artists With July Birthdays. The background and position of the subject figures are very similar, although you can easily see their stations and style of dress are quite different.

National Gallery, London

In Portrait Artists, my post from March 2020, I included a sweet portrait by John Singer Sargent. Although I'm a huge fan of the Impressionists, always gravitating to Van Gogh in particular, Sargent is my favorite portrait artist. Like Rembrandt, I am pleasantly surprised when I encounter one of Sargent's works at an art museum. 

A Girl with a Watering Can
(1876), Renoir

In Pierre Auguste Renoir's painting of A Girl with a Watering Can, the subject green watering can seems to get lost among the foliage and the dark blue of the girl's dress. If it wasn't for the lace trim on the dress it might be invisible. He has divided the composition in half, with the green grass in the background and the light dirt path in the foreground, balancing the girl's face color.

Young Girl with Doll (1884), Morisot

Much creepier is this portrait by Berthe Morisot. The black dress and the unusual and complicated background make it even more so. I am confused by the background. It feels like the girl is outside in a garden, but then the 'window' in the top right corner seems to depict a distant scene. Considering the upholstered chair, now that far off lighter area could be a bed. The large pot is also a distraction for me.

Little Girl in a Blue Armchair (1878), Cassatt

Perhaps the best known painter of children (and mothers) is Mary Cassatt. While I appreciate the cyan blue color of the fabric in the four chairs, I am less pleased with the clothing and pose of the young child. She seems to be relaxing, focusing on the dog resting nearby, and (maybe) waiting to be dressed. Apparently, Edgar Degas helped Cassatt rework this and ten other entries for her debut exhibition in 1879.

Mother and Child (1914),
Cassatt

My favorite is this pastel painting with its soft coloring and subtle blue shading. I like the child's little pink feet emerging from the mother's supporting left arm. The background is comprised of many colors, reminding me of one you'd see in a photographer's studio.

The Railway (1873), Manet

Édouard Manet's painting of a well-dressed child waiting for a train features his favorite model, Victorine Meurent. You may recognize her from his famous Luncheon on the Grass, although here she is clothed in a rather drab blue suit and matching hat. The model may not actually be related to the child. She may be portraying a nanny, who curiously is also caring for the girl's puppy.

Buttercups and Daisies (1881),
Hugh Cameron

I much prefer the portrayal of youths in the 19th century to those depicted as miniature adults in the earlier 18th century. Although this subject is shown without adult figures, she is realistically proportioned. Perhaps being related to the subject allows Cameron to capture the sweet personality of the little red-haired girl.

Boats in Art History

Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) (1873-76), Homer

September marks the end of Summer, boating season, near end of major league baseball, the start of Fall and the school year. Sailing and sailboats have always fascinated me, though not enough to purchase one. Instead, I'll stick to rowboats and canoes, fishing on lakes rather than the open seas. My first, and probably my favorite, sailing painting is by Winslow Homer, an artist whom I studied in Art History in college. The man and three boys makes me nostalgic for my dad and two brothers.

Impression Sunrise (1872), Monet

Around the same time, French Impressionist Claude Monet painted his iconic Impression Sunrise. Blues dominate this seascape with contrasting orange punctuating an amazing sunrise. The only other colors are dark green and purple suggesting the silhouetted shapes of small watercraft against a background of larger ships.

Boating (1874), Manet

Édouard Manet's Boating captures a young couple sailing in the Summer. The man is Manet's brother-in-law, Rodolphe Leenhoff, and it is only assumed that the woman is Manet's wife, Camille. While the boom is meant to frame the scene, I am bothered by the corner and the dark-shadowed interior behind the woman's back. And her pose seems unsteady, awkwardly leaning into an empty space. Luckily, Leenhoff's white clothing takes contrasting focus away from the darker parts of the boat.

The Boating Party (1893/94), Cassatt

In contrast to the Manet painting (above), Mary Cassatt's portrait (with child) is darker, but includes a thin sliver of horizon not present in Manet's. Cassatt has rendered a Gauguin-like ~post-impressionist work using solid, decorative, almost geometric shapes that flatten the picture. The rigging of the sail cuts off the shadowed portion of the female figures. The sail and the woman's hat shade the woman's face and the top half of the child's face. Cassatt has used a light green (citron) and black to divide the scene from the expanse of blue water, helped by the diagonal lines of the rigging and oar.

Fishing Boats on the Beach (1888), Van Gogh

I love Van Gogh's paintings of fishing boats. The masts, spars, and rigging seem to complicate the composition to me. Especially the reddish orange diagonal line (boom?)! As always, I appreciate Vincent's use of yellow. His trip to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer lasted one week in June 1888, approximately two years before the artist's death in July 1890.

Sunrise (Mane) (1872-73), Monet

Another of Monet's sunrise paintings is on exhibit at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, where my daughter recently visited. She knows of my passion for art and particularly impressionists. Just as atmospheric as the one above, but softer and less bright, I think I actually prefer this version to the other more famous sunrise painting.

Boats at Anchor (1917), Sargent

My favorite portrait artist, John Singer Sargent, also painted landscapes and seascapes. I love this watercolor of Boats at Anchor (1917). Sometimes I wish artists would edit out the somewhat repetitive reflections in favor of simplifying their compositions. Using watercolor though, Sargent merely suggests, rather than duplicates, the reflected images. His quick brushstrokes and squiggly masts make the water come alive with light and shadow. I'm not sure about the white blob in the bottom left corner (another boat?).

The Boat (1953), Matisse

As far as reflections, Henri Matisse created a rather simple paper-cut composition of a sailboat. In 1961, his work was mistakenly hung upside-down at MOMA in New York for 47 days before a museum patron alerted a guard about it. I love showing this one to my young art students! 

Vernazza Harbor (2024), Patterson

My last example of boats is my own acrylic painting of the harbor at Vernazza, Italy. I painted it for my daughter and her husband last year for Christmas, after promising it as their wedding present almost two years prior. The hardest part was the windows and the mooring pier to the right. I like the smaller reflections of the boats in the middle ground and how the reflection of the water shimmers on the wall of the pier. This would make an excellent jigsaw puzzle! Maybe I'll submit it for another Xmas gift.