<http://schema.org/description>
"Joseph Ducreux\u2019s 1783 \u201CSelf-Portrait (Yawning)\u201D is\u00A0a\u00A0stunning glimpse of\u00A0humor and personality, far removed from the upright poses and rigid stoicism that was expected of\u00A0portrait sitters before the mid-twentieth century. Ducreux, portrait artist to\u00A0Queen Marie Antoinette, often placed himself as\u00A0the subject for many of\u00A0his more experimental works. These pieces, aiming to\u00A0catch the attention of\u00A0potential patrons, served to\u00A0highlight the boundless horizons of\u00A0the artist\u2019s skill and imagination. \u201CSelf-Portrait (Yawning)\u201D elegantly combines in\u00A0one gesture the yawn, the stretch, and the relaxed satisfaction that follows. This casual work features the artist decked out in\u00A0a\u00A0night-hat, inviting the eighteenth-century viewer a\u00A0rare glimpse of\u00A0the artist\u2019s intimate domestic habits. A\u00A0stunningly original painting for the time, Ducreux\u2019s works have recently caught the attention of\u00A0the Internet\u2019s iconoclastic masses. One of\u00A0his later paintings has since become a\u00A0popular meme, seeing countless jokers add their own caption to\u00A0a\u00A0jaunty image of\u00A0the artist pointing towards the viewer. Experimenting with the traditional limitations of\u00A0the genre of\u00A0self-portraiture Ducreaux is\u00A0in\u00A0the midst of\u00A0an\u00A0immense yawn. His mouth opens wide; his face contorts with the stress, his right arm punching toward the viewer. Holding this exaggerated pose, he\u00A0sways back and his stomach pushes forward; His Entire body presses up\u00A0close to\u00A0the outer limits of\u00A0the picture. As\u00A0such, this work is\u00A0also a\u00A0study of\u00A0the physiognomy of\u00A0the human body. \u201CSelf-Portrait (Yawning)\u201D could also be\u00A0a\u00A0wry comment on\u00A0the rather staid tastes of\u00A0his contemporary artistic society."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.icanvas.com/canvas-print/self-portrait-yawning-8807>