Hello! This is Paul Lemoyne.

Ingres painted this quickly while looking at his friend. If you painted a friend in five minutes, what would you include?

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, French (1780-1867). Portrait of the Sculptor Paul Lemoyne, ca. 1810-1811. Oil on canvas. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 32-54.

Try it! Set a timer for one minute and think of all of the things you’d include.

What would they wear and maybe hold?

Would they be smiling or serious?

What is their favorite color to paint in the background?

Explore More Galleries:

Gerrit Dou, Dutch (1613–1675). Self-Portrait at Age Fifty, 1663. Oil on cradled mahogany panel. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 32-77.

Some artists painted portraits of themselves! To see an example, visit gallery P17 (it’s right across the hall with the big Lion sculpture.) This is a portrait of the artist Gerrit Dou when he was 55. Notice all of the things he surrounds himself with and how he dresses.

If you were to paint a portrait of yourself, what would you include?
paint brush kiddos