Self-portrait of the artist in the guise of a mocker

Ducreux had a strong interest in physiognomy which is the belief that a person's outer appearance, especially the shape and lines of their face, could reveal their inner character which inspired him to paint some of his later works using outlanding facial expressions in his self portraits. Ducreux's self-portrait (Portrait de l'artiste sous les traits d'un moqueur) has become subject to internet popularity as part of an internet meme. In the meme, rap and pop song lyrics, common internet phrases, and similar tropes are paraphrased in verbose, stilted, or faux-archaic English and overlaid on top of the portrait to create an image macro.