Presented By:
N Sharath Chandra (09010233)
G V L Somesh
(09010216)
P Dinesh Nadh
(09010624)
As A Part of
HS 405: Inventing Truth: Art & Craft of Autobiography
Introduction
Since the fifteenth century and the advent of the mirror artists have
modeled for themselves in their own works of art. Whether it is an in-depth
exploration of the artist’s own psyche or simply because as a model, the
artist is clearly the cheapest and most available. Whatever the reason,
nearly every artist, in every medium from painters to sculptors have
attempted this exploration of self.
Our Mission
With this research, I’d like to explore the many different kinds of selfportraits in an attempt to understand why people create these works and
how they benefit from them. In ascertaining the personal value of a selfportrait, I will be able to construct the various elements that artists would
be seeking.
Our Vision
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 2
Background
Jean Fouquet's self-portrait (c. 1450), a small picture created in gold on black enamel, is seen as "the earliest
clearly identified self-portrait that is a separate painting, not an incidental part of a larger work". Sean Kelly
points out in his book" The Self-Portrait, A Modern View, "while we know a number of self-portraits from the
ancient world, we also know very little about the psychological motivations which inspired them.
The Greek Sculptor Phidias, who created sculptures for the Parthenon, is legended to have been jailed in 438
B.C. for leaving his signature, a small self-portrait of himself, on the shield of Athena. His bald-head and
wrinkled features were easily recognizable among the idealized figures of the Greek heroes. The crime, it
seems, was two-fold; the Parthenon was not place for human representation, and a sculptor should not take
credit for a work of pure divinity.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 3
Background
 Phidias was among the first of a succession of artists who would use their self-portrait as a
signature in significant works. Although many artists may have incorporated their image into
great works, it is not always easy to identify. And whether the artist's goal was to sign his work
or whether he simply used his image because he needed another face in the crowd and did
not have a model, is difficult to tell..
 A self-portrait, as a projection of self, may have began with Fouquet's hand held portrait but
artists like Albrecht Dürer and Parmigianino are known for the detailed exploration of their
own images. They paint themselves as they wish to be seen. Other portrait artists who also
used the self-portrait as a projection of self did so to demonstrate wealth, social status, talent
or religious beliefs.
 Later artists such as Rembrandt and van Gogh took the self-portrait to a deeper level.
Rembrandt created vast amounts of self-portraits through intensive self-study. Van Gogh
wrote in a letter to his brother, "In Rembrandt's portraits...it is more than nature, it is a kind of
revelation." Rembrandt's self-portraits delve deep into the psyche, they show a complex
personality, strong emotions, and a chronicle of circumstances through life.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 4
Background
 One of the greatest examples of self-portrait as self study can be seen in the work of Frida
Kahlo. In approximately one-third of her work Kahlo used herself as the main subject, creating
a kind of therapy, struggling to make amends with personal afflictions.
 Rembrandt, van Gogh and later, Kahlo used facial expressions, distinct brush strokes and
lighting to portray their inner selves. Gustave Courbet, a leader in the Realist movement, was
known for using the element of fantasy in creating his self-portrait. In his most famous work
from 1855, Interior of My Studio, a Real Allegory Summing Up Seven Years of My Life as an
Artist, he enlists a host of props and people to help portray himself. In the painting he sits at
his canvas surrounded by hunters, peasants and other representations of his life. There are
several other self-portraits by Courbet where he assumes other relevant fictitious roles.
 Although Courbet uses fictitious scenes to depict his emotions, the images of himself are
always realistic interpretations. Artists like Chagall and Picasso, on the other hand, created a
different kind of image, the narrative self-portrait. In their works, the self acts as a character
and has little to no resemblance to their actual physical appearance. Picasso once said,
"Whether he likes it or not, man is the instrument of nature; it forces on him its character and
appearance." Chagall's I and the Village is a good example of this kind of self-portrait, where
he relives the visions of his childhood.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 5
Background
 The narrative self-portrait, though an abstraction of
the figure, still contains human figures. The
metaphorical self-portrait on the other hand is
more of an "autobiographical outpouring". These
works are highly affective one can't help but view
them as representations of the artists' emotions.
"The fact that a lot of people break down and cry
when confronted with my pictures shows that I can
communicate these basic human emotions...,"
Rothko was quoted as saying. English sculptor
Henry Moore took an inventive approach in his
self-portrait when he opted to draw his hands
instead of his face.
All of these artists gazed into their mirrors and attempted to grasp their identities. They sought
to portray their image, whether it showed a clear representation of their features, a walk
through their childhood or an outpouring of emotions. Some self-portraits show only what the
artist wants us to see, some chronicle the history of the artist, others reveal personal secrets
and a sense of isolation. Whichever method is employed each artist took a long literal and
figurative look at him/herself. Each portrait is a an exploration of the self.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 6
The Self-Portrait as a Signature
The self-portrait as a signature reappeared strongly during
the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. Architects from
the great cathedrals would sometimes carve images of
themselves in less noticeable parts of their finished pieces.
Two well known examples are the cathedrals at Santiago di
Compestello and Prague.
During the Renaissance period sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti is
said to have chiseled a self portrait, as early as 1401, into the
frame surrounding the set of bronze doors created for the
Florence Baptistry. Jan van Eyck is thought to be present in a
small detail from his famous masterpiece, The Ghent
Altarpiece, completed in 1432. But his most influential
painting of the period, Wedding Portrait from 1434 employed
a quite unique use of the self-portrait. A young couple stands
facing the viewer while exchanging their wedding vows. A
mirror behind the couple, in the center of the painting,
reveals Jan Van Eyck's presence in the room. His inscription
above the mirror reads "Johannes de eyck fuit hic" or "Jan
van Eyck was here.“
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 7
The Self-Portrait as a Projection of Self
Though the self-portrait as signature appears to have been practiced widely in the Middle Ages and
during the Renaissance, the self-portrait purely for it's own sake is traced to Northern Europe. The
earliest surviving example of this kind of self-portrait was Jean Fouquet's gold and enamel handheld likeness dated in 1470. But it was Albrecht Dürer, born one year later, who is seen as the first
artist to make self-portraiture a major part of his work. The greatest printmaker of his time, Dürer
seemed fascinated by his own image. His first self-portrait dates back to his adolescence in 1484. He
continued to explore his changing facade and social status until 1522, a few years before his death
when he used himself as a model in Christ as the Man of Sorrows.
Dürer's most impressive self-portrait is from 1500. Janson described it best
when he said, "...the solemn, frontal pose and the Christ-like idealization of
the features assert an authority quite beyond the range of ordinary portraits.
The picture looks, in fact, like a secularized icon..." Here, it is apparent that
Dürer could use his skills as an artisan to promote himself, much the way
early portrait painters were commissioned to immortalize their employers.
Dürer painted his image to project an air of importance, to create perhaps,
an increased social status. He was keenly aware of his audience. His portraits,
though they do record change and emotional transition over time, were not
an exploration of his psyche so much as a means of showing his rising social status.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 8
The Self-Portrait as Self-Study
Though Dürer is credited for being the first artist to consistently create self-portraits,
Rembrandt is given credit for being the first artist to intensely study the self through art.
During his life time, 1606-1669, Rembrandt sketched his own face thousands of times.
He created a legacy of 60 self-portraits that depict his history, an autobiographical story
that chronicles his turbulent life. From rags to riches, through marriages and mistresses,
from youth to old age, we can witness the changing face of Rembrandt.
His first self-portrait is dated as early as 1629; his last, a few months before
his death in 1669. Between those forty years Rembrandt modeled for himself so many
times that we can't help but wonder why. There seems to be several advantages for
Rembrandt to turn to the mirror for inspiration. One notion suggests that as a young
and struggling artist, Rembrandt was the most readily available model. He could paint himself anytime, anywhere
without having to pay or rely on a professional model. Another reason for the multitude of self-portraits may lie in
the typical clientele of the time. Rembrandt often painted his own face deep in the
shadows or with grimacing expressions, techniques that he certainly could not
explore on the portrait of a wealthy client. Kelly noted that for Rembrandt, "selfportraits became an outlet for feelings and ideas concerning the nature of human
existence which found no satisfactory channel elsewhere." In this case, his own face
provided a wide range of opportunity for growth and discovery as an artist.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 9
Cont…
using his face to test new techniques. It is in these last two decades that a
real exploration of self comes forth. We see a much more honest view of
Rembrandt's features in his later work than in his famous Self-Portrait, from
1640. In his final self-portraits dated from 1660 to 1669, Rembrandt appears
old, wrinkled, and tired. Glancing in the mirror, Rembrandt said of these
final portraits, "...and I came, it may be, to look for myself and recognize
myself. What have I found? Death painted I see..."
Vincent van Gogh is as famous for his self-portraits as is Rembrandt, though
instead of creating them over a life time, he painted the majority, twentytwo of them, within two tumultuous years. Van Gogh's images during that
period (1886-1888) and for the two years before his suicide in 1890 reveal a
man who was struggling with life, and perhaps searching for answers
through his painted image. Each painted portrait captures detailed emotions
of shock, disturbance, tranquillity or confusion. He even captured his own
image, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Head, (1889) after his infamous
mutilation of his ear. In it he appears troubled and somewhat dazed. He
appears to be lost within himself, isolated, a sign of how his tragic life would
ultimately end.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 10
Cont…
Like Rembrandt and van Gogh, the story of Frida Kahlo can be read in her self-portraits.
Approximately one-third of her work is the exploration of her self, physically and mentally. Kahlo
created some fifty-five self-portraits as a kind of therapy to face the most troubling events of her
life; her leg crippled from polio, permanent injuries from a bus accident, abortions, and botched
surgeries. In person, Kahlo dressed in long, rich fabrics and covered herself in jewelry, she hid her
deformities beneath an austere persona. In her portraits she could come out from hiding and
reveal her troubles in paint. In that sense, her self-portraits are both tragic and triumphant. Just
as Rembrandt could look at himself in the mirror at the end of his life and accept his aging body
and face, Kahlo could accept and feel comfortable revealing her afflictions. But unlike Vincent van
Gogh who searched for an answers in his self-portraits, Frida Kahlo knew the answers. She used
the canvas as a cathartic release of emotion.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 11
The Self-Portrait as a Fantasy
In between the lifetimes of Rembrandt and van Gogh, many artists created selfportraits in the same manner focusing intently on their facial features and expressions
with very little else in the frame. There were some however, like Gustave Courbet
who embellished their self-portraits into fantasy. Courbet and others continued the
tradition of painting their own likeness but went further to stage a scene, add
artifacts and/or people to symbolize their social status or mental state. In this way,
the artist's face was no longer the central image.
Gustave Courbet. Interior
In Courbet's Interior of My Studio, A Real Allegory Summing Up Seven Years of My Life of My Studio,A Real
as an Artist, (1854-1855) he "created a new model of an artistic and social universe of Allegory Summing Up
which he is the center and soul creator." The painting is a stage, Courbet is the Seven Years of My Life as
central character deftly painting a landscape on a large canvas, flanked by a small an Artist, 1855.
child gazing up at him and a nude female model who looks over his shoulder. The boy
represents innocence, the nude model perhaps nature. To his left is a group of people likely symbolic of his
home town life, hunters, peasants, a priest, a mother and a child. To his right are individuals such as critics,
clients and intellectuals (the man reading is Baudelaire.) He may be torn between these two lifestyles or
perhaps just showing us different sides of his life.
During his lifetime, Courbet created at least seven other "fantasy" self-portraits, portraying a wide range of
characters from a handsome wooer to a noble prisoner. His paintings were the first to break away from "the
neck-up self-portrait" and instead, reveal himself through his surroundings.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 12
The Narrative Self-Portrait
The advent of Abstractionism in the early 1900’s led to an even further shift away
from the realistic face than of Gustave Courbet’s fantasy self-portraits. Artists like
Picasso and later Chagall, unlocked their imaginations and let shapes, colors and
patterns represent their inner selves without as much emphasis on capturing a literal
likeness of themselves.
The father of Abstraction, Pablo Picasso, created several remarkably different
interpretations of himself in paint, pencil and ink. His earlier self-portraits from 1900
and 1901 are very much in the same vain as Rembrandts’ and van Goghs’. Picasso
stares out from the canvas at the viewer, allowing his expression to reveal himself. In
1907, he took a Cubist approach and with areas of color and exaggerated features
made himself into a wide-eyed character. By 1938, he abstracted his figure to such a
degree that both eyes rested on one side of his face, allowing the essence of his
likeness to replace the realism of his features. Picasso utilized the narrative selfportrait even further in a series of prints in the 1960’s. In No.319 of the series,
"Picasso portrays himself as a wizened voyeur wearing a jester's hat, who peers
morosely at the enthusiastic love-making of a handsome young artist and his
model." The staging of this design, with Picasso’s apparent anguish with old age and
revealing portrayal of himself, is quite different from the careful display of characters
in Courbet’s Interior of My Studio.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 13
Cont..
Another notable narrative self-portrait from the same era was Marc Chagall’s I and the Village created in 1911.
In it, Chagall created a memoir of his childhood in Russia. The painting is a deeply symbolic fairy-tale of
characters and color. In the center are a man and woman, perhaps Chagall and his wife, abstracted figurines
walking on a hillside. The character does not really resemble Chagall, in fact, he did not even need to consult the
mirror for inspiration. The story he wanted to tell was deep inside him.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 14
The Metaphorical Self-Portrait
There are obvious differences between the realistic portraiture of Rembrandt and
the narrative fairytale of Chagall. Rembrandt relies on his physical features to portray
himself, Chagall reveals himself through a fantastical story of abstracted shapes.
They both however, as did van Gogh, Kahlo and Picasso, use a human-like figure,
variably distorted, as the center of their self-portraits.
When artists like Jackson Pollack (1912-1956) and Mark Rothko (1903-1970) took
Abstraction to a new level, there were no longer human figures represented on the
canvas. The Abstract Expressionists’ works, although difficult to call self-portraiture,
are still deeply emotional and revealing. Kelly described the abstract piece of art best
when he termed them "autobiographical outpourings." The impulsiveness and
spontaneity of Pollack's drippings and splattering's can be seen as a more realistic
view of the artist's feelings than the carefully constructed brush strokes of other
artists seeking to create a self-portrait. Janson described Pollack's use of paint as a
"storehouse of pent-up forces for him to release."
Mark Rothko's deeply saturated bands of color seem even farther removed from the
figure than Pollack's paintings. But yet, the artist's emotions still come forth. "The
people who weep before my pictures," Rothko noted, "are having the same religious
experience I had when I painted them."
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 15
Conclusion
Self-portraits have been a method of self-exploration since humans first gazed at their own reflection in a pool
of water. With the invention of the mirror came an even stronger fascination to capture one's likeness. And even
within the past ten years, the public's fascination with the way an artist sees him/herself has led to exhibitions
like the National Self-Portrait Collection in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
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.
What do artist's find when they search the mirror? For some the self-portrait is cathartic experience, a letting go
of pent-up emotions. For others, the process reveals new insights about themselves and their work. For all
artists, the self-portrait is an exploration, an opportunity to see beyond the image in the mirror and begin to
search into the soul.
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 16
Works cited
[1] Bonafoux, Pascal. Rembrandt: Self-Portrait. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 1985.
[2] Fuentes, Carlos, forward. The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait. New York: Harry Abrams Inc.,
1995.
[3] Goldscheider, Ludwig. Five-Hundred Self-Portraits. London: George Allen & Unwin LTD., 1937.
[4] Janson, W.H. History of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1986.
[5] Kelly, Sean. The Self-Portrait: A Modern View. London: Sarema Press, 1987.
[6] Wood, Michael. Art of the Western World New York: Summit Book, 1989.
Slide 17
Thank You!
HS 405 : Inventing The Truth: The Art
& Craft of Autobiography
Slide 18