Self-Portrait
Technical details
Description
The first self-portrait that is known of the artist, it was painted in ca. 1775 shortly after his arrival in Madrid after being summoned by Mengs to work as a cartoonist at the Royal Tapestry Factory. He was inspired by a self-portrait by Mengs painted in ca. 1773. Goya was twenty-nine years old and would have painted it to assert himself as an artist in the early days of his career at the royal court. He portrayed himself with total realism in a pretentious and self-confident pose, with his long black hair falling over his shoulders and his winter riding jacket made of dark woollen cloth. His facial features and the expressiveness of his eyes and lips are masterfully enhanced by the light. This portrait was painted with great skill and meticulousness, with the paint applied in long brushstrokes, in the style of Mengs. Goya was already showing his splendid qualities as a portraitist.