Caravaggio Boy with Basket of Fruit Self Portrait

This painting was a master copy study where I insert myself in the original composition. This study is of Caravaggio’s, Boy with a Basket of Fruit, a master piece from 1593, and is considered to be in the Baroque art style, with a heavy use of chiaroscuro, a technique using dark shadows. I aimed to get a realistic portrait of myself and work on my abilities to get skin tones and shades accurate. I felt that putting myself in this piece was a way to take on the conversation that surrounds this piece regarding the sensitivity of the boy in the original and his expression of femininity instead of a masculine pose and setting. I felt that with my own expression leaning towards non-binary, that I could relate to expressing myself fluidly. I also wanted to artistically challenge myself with replicating the fruit basket and making it just as realistic as the portrait.