Ducreux

Ducreux refers primarily to Joseph Ducreux (1735–1802), a French portrait painter who served in the court of Louis XVI. He is known for his unconventional self-portraits featuring exaggerated facial expressions. These portraits, predating modern photography and memes, are often cited as examples of early attempts at capturing fleeting emotions and personality in art.

Ducreux's artistic style involved a departure from formal, idealized portraits prevalent in his time. He sought to depict a more natural and expressive representation of his subjects, including himself. While he also produced portraits of members of the French aristocracy, it is his self-portraits that have gained the most contemporary recognition.

In more recent times, Ducreux's self-portraits have experienced a surge in popularity as internet memes. These memes typically involve pairing his paintings with anachronistic captions rendered in Early Modern English, creating a humorous juxtaposition of old and new. This use of his work in internet culture has introduced his paintings to a new audience and cemented his legacy in a unique way. He is therefore known both for his artistic contributions to 18th-century portraiture and for his unintentional impact on 21st-century internet humor.