A Life Captured in Oil The year is 1678. An elderly man sits before a canvas in England, his brush moving with the deliberate intent of someone documenting their own existence. This is Goddard Dunning. He is sixty-four years old. The oil paint clings to the fabric, forming a face marked by a grey moustache and a goatee, framed by long, silvered hair. He wears the somber black clothing of his era, a stark contrast to the bright, clutte…