Self-Portrait is an oil on canvas portrait painting by the British artist John Opie, from 1785.Holmes p.18Crane p.14 A self-portrait, it depicts the artist at the age of around 24 when he had established himself as a major figure. Opie had exploded onto the London scene in 1781 and enjoyed a spectator success at the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1782. He became known as the "Cornish Wonder", because he was supposedly self-taught. His work drew heavily on the tradition of realism and used striking chiaroscuro contrasts.https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/john-opie-157386 Others have noticed the influence that the established painter Richard Wilson had in coaching and managing his early style.McIntyre p.398 Opie is shown with a paintbrush and palette.
The painting is now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London, having been purchased in 1958.https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitExtended/mw04751/John-Opie
References
Bibliography Crane, David. Romantics & Revolutionaries: Regency Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery London. National Portrait Gallery, 2002. Holmes, Richard. The Romantic Poets and Their Circle. National Portrait Gallery, 2005. McIntyre, Ian. Joshua Reynolds: The Life and Times of the First President of the Royal Academy. Allen Lane, 2003. Walker, Richard John Boileau. Regency Portraits, Volume 1. National Portrait Gallery, 1985.