Every year, when Father’s Day rolls around, I always struggle with what present to get for my dad.

The ties stop being a plausible gift at age seven, clothes illicit an unenthused response, and any type of gadget I can find at RadioShack, he already owns.

Last year, I finally got it right — A painting by me!

After his joyous reaction I started thinking about famous artists and their fathers. Did they ever celebrate their dads with art from the heart?

French artist, Marcel Duchamp, painted “Portrait of the Artist’s Father” as one of his first oil-on-canvas paintings. Duchamp’s father, the mayor of a town in Normandy in which the family lived, was a loving parent, supportive of Duchamp’s desire to pursue art:

A Portrait of the Artist's Father by Marcel Duchamp

Also from France, Paul Cezanne, did not have a father as encouraging. Cezannes’s dad was an intimidating banker, who was displeased with Cezanne’s determination to become an artist. Yet, Cezanne still created “The Artist’s Father”, capturing his father’s earnest demeanor:

The Artist's Father by Paul Cezanne

Impressionist painter, Edgar Degas, had a father who also steered him away from the arts, urging him to attend law school. However, Degas, followed his dreams and enrolled in an art program, meanwhile painting a portrait depicting his dad listening to music:

Degas's Father Listening to Lorenzo Pagans Playing the Guitar by Edgar Degas

While I did not paint a portrait of my dad for this year’s Father’s Day gift, I did whip up another painting to give to him on Sunday. (Hey, it worked last time.)

- Ava Cotlowitz

(Editor’s Note: Share this article with Dad!)