Self Portrait 

Here we see George Washington Lambert's self-portrait, an oil painting notable for its directness. Lambert used traditional materials—pigments ground in oil, applied with brushes to a prepared canvas. But what makes this painting sing is the handling. Notice how Lambert doesn't fuss over details. Instead, he lets the inherent qualities of the paint speak. The loose brushwork gives a sense of immediacy, of capturing a fleeting moment. This approach is critical, because it shows the value of the artist's own labor and touch. Each stroke is a deliberate act, building up the image layer by layer. There is no need to disguise the making process. Lambert shows himself in the tools of the trade, as a figure of production. By valuing the labor of art, and showing the means of its making, Lambert is challenging conventional boundaries between fine art and craft.