G F Watts, Self Portrait of G F Watts in Middle Age, 1879, oil on canvas

Watts Gallery Trust

Like many artists, George Frederic Watts would often paint himself. He used these self-portraits as a way to experiment with style and colour, and to test out different facial expressions and poses. He said in 1869: ‘I paint myself constantly, that is to say whenever I want to make an experiment in method or colour and I am not in the humour to make a design’.

Self-portraits were also an important tool to shape George’s public image. George was 62 years old when he painted this self-portrait. He shows himself in profile, looking old and grand. With his white beard, skullcap and dark clothing, George has deliberately painted himself in a similar way to self-portraits made by the famous sixteenth-century Venetian painter, Titian. In doing this, he is suggesting to the viewer that he too, at the end of his long career, might be remembered as one of the great European artists.

G F Watts's Self-Portraits

G F Watts painted himself frequently throughout his career. Explore how his style changed and evolved across his lifetime.

Watts Gallery and Artists' Village

George Frederic Watts, Self-Portrait in Middle Age, 1879

G F Watts's Self-Portraits

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