Self-Portrait 1749

Joshua Reynolds painted this self-portrait in oil on canvas, sometime in the 18th century. Here, the artist obscures his face with his hand, as if dazzled by the light that makes his work possible. In his other hand, he holds a palette and maulstick, the tools of his trade. The materials – canvas, pigment, linseed oil – had become increasingly standardized by Reynolds’ time. This allowed for an unprecedented level of control and refinement. But there’s something more subtle going on here. Reynolds is showing us that painting, like any other kind of making, is hard work, and that even the artist's own eyes are strained by the effort of constant looking. His hand, like that of a craftsman shielding his eyes from a forge, speaks to the labor involved in the production of an image. By considering the physical act of its creation, we can appreciate this painting not just as a representation, but as a material record of labor and intention.