Introduction Typically, painted images are full of clues regarding the historical and cultural context. They also carry the message regarding the interest and abilities of the artist. In fact, they always depict the person in the image. Visual analysis of works of art involves keen observation of the details painted by an artist from formal and narrative contents of the work. Visual analysis involves interpretation, description and evaluation of the portrait by focusing the attention to yield significant information regarding the work of art. The information obtained is important in making comparisons between different portraits. This study explores formal and narrative content of Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait 1660, Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Joseph Roulin 1889 and Andy Warhol’s Gold Marilyn Monroe 1962. Thesis Statement Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait 1660, Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Joseph Roulin 1889 and Andy Warhol’s Gold Marilyn Monroe 1962 differ in entirety regarding the messages sent by pose and facial expressions and the utilization of the painting frame. Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait 1660 The portrait was created in 1660. Rembrandt used oil on canvas nine years prior to his demise. The portrait features no other individual. This is significant given that it implies the depth of privacy the artist valued. However, considering the direction of the eyesight, he seems to be looking at another person albeit missing from the frame. He appears to be looking at somebody else as a patient. His face is red-dotted with signs of rosacea. Besides, the dots may be a stylistic devise commonly used by the artist in his previous works of art. In the portrait, the artist’s eyes appear normal. The left eye is to some extent narrower than the right eye. The eyes do not indicate any signs of palpebral ptosis or a pterygium. The bright line seems to suggest he was ailing from arcus senilis. The latter eye depicts healthy individuals happy with the inner self and heath. The faces of the Monroe and Roulin radiate contentment with their lives. Closer observation of the face reveals that the lit line is a mirror image of the cornea. Most of his other paintings also contain the reflection of the cornea. In paintings such as Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of Joseph Roulin 1889, this effect is not evident, as Roulin’s eyes appear dull. In fact, they do not reflect any light although there is abundant light that may have reflected considering that his eyes are wide open. In the Gold Marilyn Monroe 1962 portrait, Monroe’s eyes are also open and white around the iris. However, the sufficient light that illuminate the image do not reflect. Her eyes seem to absorb every ray of light. While Rembrandt’s eyes seem to suggest his inner soul, the latter images appear to consume the light. Figure 1: Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait 1660 . The image depicts sign of aging of Rembrandt. The skin is lightly colored compared to other self-portraits painted previously. The skin illustrates signs of senile degeneration. The dullness of his clothing merges with the background. In contrast to portraits of Roulin and Monroe, the background seems to swallow the artist while the latter appears to dominate the frame directing the attention of the audience details of the figures as opposed to outrigh