Self-Portrait as Timanthes (c.1780-1803) by James Barry (1741-1806)
Self-Portrait as Timanthes (c.1780-1803) by James Barry (1741-1806). Barry presents himself personified as an artist of ancient Greece, in an image full of references to classical mythology. Partly visible behind him is the sculpture of Hercules crushing the serpent of Envy. See also Death of Adonis. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland
Photo (c) National Gallery of IrelandSelf-Portrait as Timanthes (c.1780-1803) by James Barry (1741-1806)
Photo (c) National Gallery of Ireland
Photo (c) National Gallery of Ireland
Self-Portrait as Timanthes (c.1780-1803) by James Barry (1741-1806)
Self-Portrait as Timanthes (c.1780-1803) by James Barry (1741-1806). Barry presents himself personified as an artist of ancient Greece, in an image full of references to classical mythology. Partly visible behind him is the sculpture of Hercules crushing the serpent of Envy. See also Death of Adonis. Courtesy of the National Gallery of Ireland
Photo (c) National Gallery of Ireland
A painting of a person is called a portrait. This was a very important type of painting before photography. Portraits recorded what a person looked like.
Portraits used to show the person wearing expensive clothes. People used portraits to show how wealthy and powerful they were.
During the 19th century, the way portraits were painted changed. This was partly because of photography was invented. It was less important to record exactly what the person looked. It was also less important to show how wealthy they were. Today, many artists aim to show the personality of the person in the portrait.