March 16, 2004
Self Portraits
I have discovered the fun of the self portrait. It all began with my hometown's exhibit of residents' self portraits. I had only done one self portrait and that was almost 20 years ago. Since I have my tongue sticking out, I guess that was some foreshadow of the fun of the self portrait.
Artists have often done self portraits and some of their most memorable works may be this art of reflection. A short, illustrated paper by Jeanne Ivy The Exploration of Self; What artists find when they search in the mirror offers this insight: "Self-portraits, we have found, can be carefully staged to show the audience only what the artist wishes to project, or deeply revealing, inadvertently displaying feelings of anguish and pain. Self-portraits have been used to test new techniques, make a signature mark, launch into self-study, remember the past, and as a way to release emotion. Whichever way artists choose to construct their images, they are each forced to study their own personas both physically and emotionally"
Some collections & resources to reflect upon:
Self-portrait U.K. - Making a self-portrait
Frida Kahlo
Rembrandt's self portraits
VanGogh's self portraits
Self portraits of famous artists through the ages
image: Serena Fenton, self portrait
Posted by sfenton at March 16, 2004 09:01 AMSerena,
Thanks for all the self-portrait links. I've circled and worked on various versions of "myself" for a number of years -- did one that was all heavy draped and edged and quilted fabric, hanging over a series of "egg baskets." Another I did consisted of fabrics and poetry quotes attached to and working out from a tawdry faux-brass bedstead. Neither of these were photographed well enough to include on my website, although both were exhibited locally.
Currently the Willard Women series on my website ( www.juneunderwood.com ) are representational self-portraits, although a bit oblique (I suppose).
I'm going to have fun looking at the sites you've recommended.
And of course, like our dreams, all our art is ultimately ourselves, although much of it is so partial as to feel detached. Or maybe it gets detached as soon as it's on the design wall. And often, I suppose, the self that's depicted is more a fantasy than the real thing.
June
Posted by: June at March 17, 2004 11:59 AMHi, I am a uni student who has to do a self-portrait for a subject and was wondering if you could give me any hints regarding what i should do. We have been asked to tell the class something interesting about ourselves and most people, I cant really think of anything that is that interesting. Any advice and any links to other websites will definitely prove beneficial and will be very much appreciated, thankyou.
Posted by: Cody at April 7, 2004 02:14 AM