Self Portrait as Caravaggio as Bacchus Oil Painting

I’ve been learning about Caravaggio and the first painting I saw in a book was ‘Self Portrait as Bacchus’… So I Googled Bacchus, he’s the God of Wine. I found it pretty funny that Caravaggio painted himself as the God of Wine although every documentary I saw or read hadn’t found the humour in it, some even looked at it as showing off sickness (peoples skin turns yellow when you drink too much, perhaps he were proud?) in terms of help.

I decided to paint myself being Caravaggio while he’s being Bacchus. It’s slightly rushed although as I look at it longer I start to see where I could have improved, specifically in the face shape and shading in general.

I chose to make the painting different aside from the general pose, some things in particular are the hair.. Since I’m painting myself being Caravaggio being Bacchus, I decide that the God of Wine’s hair ends with a grape or leaf. I changed the vibrancy and colours of the grapes, placements of the peaches and shape of the vines. Copying isn’t art so I couldn’t see the point in copying a precise replica of the rest of the painting.

This artwork is hand-stretched, hooks will be attached on sale and sold with a certificate of authenticity.

What am I buying?