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Here's one of my favorites by a portrait artist I rarely see mentioned on this forum. It's John Singleton Copley's Henry Pelham or Boy With Squirrel. Copley was known for having a highly finished style and a skill for painting textures and finishes like fabric and wood surfaces. He painted this of his nephew as a demonstration of his skill but it seems that it turned into so much more than that. I think his familiarity with and affection for the subject transforms this painting; not only that, I suspect it influenced his original conception and inspiration. Whenever I look at this painting I am fascinated by this boy and his relationship with his pet squirrel. I wonder what he was like in real life. In fact he seems to come alive as I stare at the painting.
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