Honors: NARRATIVE SELF PORTRAIT
The narrative concept is used in visual art so the artist can creates a story in his or her
image. Tell the viewer something about yourself by the way you create your self portrait.
It can be what you love to do, how you are feeling, what you dream about, what you hope
to do in ten years, etc. The image will likely contain other visual cues besides your face—
it could be the setting (the room you are in), a prop you are interacting with, an imagined
vision, etc. Use the media of your choice. You may use photographs as a reference for
this project.
CASE STUDY: ARTIST GAELA ERWIN
Erwin writes about her work:
Self-portraits are a recurrent theme in my w ork. This motif allow s me the luxury of w orking from life w ithout the w orry of
mounting model bills and the ease of w orking w henever and how ever long I feel w ithout scheduling conflicts. After all, I am
alw ays available to model. Self-portraits also afford the possibilities not only of mirroring my ow n physical characteristics
and psychology but, if the painting is truly successful, also a glimpse of the interior landscape of the view er’s ow n psyche.
Themes of mortality are often evident in my w ork. Not unlike a vanitas, my paintings are often evocative of life’s
companionship w ith death. Formal concerns such as black borders; painterly, abstracted backgrounds; and a muted tonal
palette reinforce this theme. Framing devices that are often seen in my w ork function on this level as w ell, but also play w ith
conditions of illusion, creating a sense that the view er is looking into a mirror. It is a mirror that does not reflect the
view er’s gaze; in fact, the face looking back may not even be looking at him/her. Ultimately, this repulsion of the view er
encourages a looking inw ard, sparking a resonance that often results in an uncomfortable recognition of a familiar emotion
or feeling.
Recent self-portraits have taken the theme of various saints as catalysts for symbolic imagery evident in many of the
w orks. Borrow ing from the lore of celebrated saints allow s me to explore the near spiritual path every artist must tread in
order to pursue their artistic convictions. Though no one w ould argue that the lives of artists are as arduous and tortured
as those that the saints endured, the question of faith for artists in the face of adversity and self-doubt is a torment that
perhaps the saints w ould have appreciated.
Gaela Erw in, 2001
Self-Portrait as St. Poulette
Other artists you may want to research are Frida Kahlo and Max Beckmann. Both are
well known for their narrative self portraits.
Also, here is a website that you might find helpful:
http://www.portrait-artist.org/face/index.html