Self-portraits

Vase of Lilacs, Roses, and TulipsGustave Courbet French, 1819-1877Oil on canvas

Both of these paintings were done by the same person. I don’t know about you, but I’m much more interested in the self portrait.

Why do you think that is?

What do you want to know about the artist?

Throughout time and by all reflective individual we as human ask ourselves…

• Who am I? • What are the distinctive things that make me "me"?• How do I want people to see me?• How can I express my many different sides?• How can I reinvent myself for various purposes or times

in my life?• How am I changing from day to day or year to year?• Who do I want to become?

Artists…Since the fifteenth century and the advent of the mirror 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.

Jean Fouquet (French, c. 1420 -c. 1477-1481), Self-Portrait, c. 1450 enamel on copper

The artist holds a medallion inscribed in Latin around the rim: "The maiden Sofonisba Anguissola, depicted by her own hand, from a mirror, at Cremona." Inside the circle is a cryptogram whose entwined letters are included in the name of Anguissola's father, Amilcare. The meaning and original purpose of this enigmatic portrait remain a mystery

Sofonisba Anguissola, Self-Portrait, c. 1555, oil on parchment, 3 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches (8.2 x 6.3 cm),

Self Portrait

Artist

Character

as. . .

as. . .

Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as a Lute Player, ca. 1615–17

Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting, ca. 1638

Judith LeysterSelf Portrait1633

Diego Velázquez (Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez) (Spanish, 1599-1660), The Family of Philip IV, or "The Maids of Honor (Las Meninas)", c. 1656, oil on canvas, (318 x 276 cm), Prado Museum, Madrid.

• Balthus (born Balthasar Klossowski de Rola) (French, 1908-2001), The Painter and His Model, 1980-1981

• Lee Krasner (American, 1908-1984), Self-Portrait, c. 1930, oil on linen

Michelangelo’s self-portrait as Nicodemus in the Duomo Pietá, Florence 

Detail from "The Last Judgement" by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum, Vatican City, Rome, Italy.

• James Montgomery Flagg (American, 1877-1960), I Want You for U.S. Army, 1917, 

• Flagg's version of Uncle Sam is a self-portrait.

Self Portrait and. . .

Aging

Albrecht Durer, Self-portrait age 22, 1493 Albrecht Durer, Self-portrait age 26, 1498 Albrecht Durer, Self-portrait age 28,1500

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)Self-Portrait at Twenty-Two , 1628, oil on panel,

Self portrait, 1661Self portrait, 1657

Edgar Degas

Pablo Picasso, Self Portrait 1896 Self Portrait with Cloak 1901

Self Portrait 1907 Self Portrait 1907 Self Portrait 1907

Self Portrait 1907

Camille Pissarro (French, 1830-1903), SelfPortrait, 1903, oil on canvas, 41.0 x 33.3 cm

Camille Pissarro

Self Portrait, 1873

Color creates mood and tone

Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin (French, 1699-1779), Self-Portrait in Spectacles, 1771, pastel, on blue-gray paper over canvas

Self Portrait and. . .

Expression

Léopold Boilly (French, 1761-1845), Grimacing Man (Self-Portrait), c. 1822-23, conté crayons on paper

Self Portrait and. . .

Expressionism

• Egon Schiele was an Austrian Expressionist painter having studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and meeting artist Gustav Klimt, Schiele went on to produce expressive work. Egon died from Spanish influenza in 1918, aged 28.

•Self-Portrait with Lowered Head, 1912 by Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait, 1910

Self Portrait and. . .

Adornment (which can)

– tell a story– show a time period– represent personal preferences– show a specific activity or career

Paul Cezanne

Self Portrait In A White Cap  Self Portrait with Beret

Mary Cassatt. 

Self-Portrait. 

c.1880Watercolor on paper

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890), Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat

Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear

Vincent Van Gogh

Self-portrait with bandaged ear and pipe, 1889

Self-portrait without Beard, 1889

•Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890), Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat

Self Portrait with Bandaged EarVincent Van Gogh

• Stanislaw Ignacy (Witkacy) Witkiewicz (Polish, 1885-1939), Self-Portrait, 1927,pastel on paper

Witkiewicz, self-portrait in pastel, 1938

• Montien Boonma (Thai, 1953-2000), Self-Portrait: A Man Who Admires Thai Art, 1982, photograph altered with decorative patterns drawn in colored ink.

Susan Coffey

Self Portrait and. . .

Color

Paul Gauguin, Self-Portrait, c. 1893-1894, oil on canvas

Paul Gauguin – Self-portrait with Halo, 1889

•Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867-1947), Self-Portrait in the Bathroom Mirror, 1939-1945, oil on canvas

Pierre Bonnard. Self-Portrait. c. 1889. Tempera on canvas.

André Derain (French, 1880-1954), Portrait of the Artist, about 1912-1914, oil on canvas

•Paula Modersohn-Becker (German, 1876-1907), Self-Portrait, Half-Figure with Amber Necklace II (Selbstbildnis als Halbakt mit Bernsteinkette II) 

• Xenia Hausner, All of Me, mixed media, 2008. Courtesy: Forum Gallery.

Catherine Kehoe SP in orange2010oil on board6"x4"

The face I deserve, 2002oil on panel 8"x8"

Self Portrait and. . .

Symbolism

Frida Kahlo July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954

Frida Kahlo

Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940

Symbolism:Irony of Luck: Hummingbirds are a traditional Mexican symbol of Luck

Christianity: Crown of thorns as necklaceRebirth/Resurrection: Dragonflies and

ButterfliesPolitical opinion of feminism:

Exaggerated mustache and Monobrow

Self Portrait and. . .

Photorealism

Chuck Close, Self-Portrait , 1997oil on canvas 102 x 84” 

Chuck Close, Self-Portrait , 2004-2005oil on canvas 102 x 86” 

Self Portrait and. . .

Point of View

Jenny Saville

Closed Contact Self Portrait

Self Portrait and. . .

Texture

Lucian Freud

Lucian Freud’s Self Portrait: Reflection (2002) 

Lucian FreudReflection Self-portrait1985Oil on Canvas

Self Portrait and. . .

The Mentor Artist

Kehinde Wiley

Self portrait after Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon.

Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon

Elizabeth Peyton

Elizabeth Peyton, Georgia (After Stieglitz 1918), 2006, monotype onhandmade paper, 30 x 22 inches

Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form

Sir Luke Fildes[English Painter, 1843-1927]Portrait of King Edward VII

Ice T, Kehinde Wiley

Triple Portrait of Charles I , 2007Oil and enamel on three canvases

Kehinde Wiley

Dutch portrait

Rap Artist, Charles Hamilton

Cindy Sherman

• Since the mid-1970s, Sherman has photographed herself, not to make self-portraits, but to picture herself posing as characters she has invented. She has made many series of such photos, in which she has transformed herself through the use of cosmetics, costumes, hairstyles, body language and facial expressions.

Caravaggio, Self-Portrait as Sick Bacchus, 1593

Cindy Sherman, Self-portrait

Sandro BotticelliJudith Leaving the Tent of Holofernes, 1495-1500

Cindy ShermanUntitled #2281990

Steve BreerwoodZoning After Millet 2006Oil on Canvas52 x 67.5 inches

Jean-Francois Millet(1814-1875)

The Gleaners1857Oil on Canvas110 x 84 cm

Websites to Check Out for Research:

• National Portrait Gallery– http://www.npg.si.edu/

• Artlex on Self Portraits– http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/s/self-

portrait.html

• Contemporary Artists– http://the-artists.org/

From left to rightLeonardo da Vinci, Portrait of Cecilia Gallarani (Lady with an Ermine) 1489James C. Christensen, Lady with Poppies 1990Zuzana Stanková, Dama, 2001

How does Leonardo influence the following two artists?

Research:1. Artist’s Biography. 2. Who/what are they influenced by? What is their work

about?3. How do they work? What materials do they use?

What size do they work in? How do they get their ideas?

4. Why have you chosen this artist? What are some ways you can incorporate their work into your self-portrait?

5. Create a minimum of two sketches of this artist’s work in color. Prints of their work will also be useful.

ThumbnailsMinimum of 4 thumbnails (2x3inches)

-Include accurate depiction of the self from the mirror.-Value and Color show form and create mood or idea.-Evidence of influence from mentor artists in style and subject matter.-Include a written explanation (notes/shorthand is fine) for the following:

1. What is this self portrait exploring about you? (refer back to the series of questions you answered about yourself)2. How is it influenced by your mentor(s)?

Alphonse MuchaJoan of Arc

Max Ernst

Gala Eluard

Francis Bacon

3 studies of a self portrait

Sketch one of these portraits to draw. What are the similarities and differences between these portraits?

J.W. WaterhouseTonal underpainting in two contrasting tones.These under-paintings are in contrasting colors to separate the figure from the background. The background is under-painted with Raw Umber, and then some  Sap Green at the top.The dress is painted with Cadmium Red.

Underpainting:It's chief value is in creating luminescence in the painting, since light reflects through it from the back of the canvas; and also for uniting color values in the overall painting by adding a subjective dominant color key.

Under-Painted layerNext layer painted on

top 

                      

         

                        

         

Tonal GroundThe entire canvas has a single transparent color evenly applied showing through as the shadow color to the painting. This creates luminescent shadows, and tones the entire composition.

Under-Painted layerNext layer painted on

top 

                      

           

                        

         

Tonal Under-PaintingContrast only has been painted with a  single transparent color: Can be done using tempera.

Under-Painted layerNext layer painted on top

 

                            

     

                              

   

Color-Block Under-PaintingContrast only is painted, but with the local color of each object or area. This also gives you the bright highlights and jump on developing form, but you can use color composition instead of tonal unity.

1. Choosing the hue of the underpainting should first take into consideration the overall emotion to be expressed. 2. It is good to think about how to color contrast shadows with the rest of the color scheme to make the objects pop out. (which helps to create a sense of depth) 3. OR how to make backgrounds blend in such as foliage or background that you want to create an impression of, but don't want to paint in detail.

Lucian Freud

.

List everything you know about achieving a likeness.

Lucian Freud’s Self Portrait: Reflection (2002) 

• Get the proportions right• Use good lighting – helps make the face appear

3-Dimensional• Check for subtle differences:

– The shape and tilt of the eyes– The width, shape and tilt of the nose– The lips wrap around the teeth and are the correct

thickness or thinness– The jawline ins the correct shape– The hair line is the right height

• Treat the hair as a mass, not single strands

Objective: Using a variety of artistic behaviors:

Artist mentors

Thumbnail sketches (visual brainstorming)

Verbal self-questioning

Students will compose a self portrait that captures a likeness, and explores personal meaning.

• LOOK FOR COLOR!

• COLOR!!!

• That’s right. .. COLOR

Criteria – Self-portrait• /20 Likeness: Carefully attention to size relationships, and

awareness of subtle differences results in a good likeness• /20 Value: Good choices in lighting and careful

observation of value shapes create a sense of the light falling on and defining the form

• /20 Mood/ Meaning: created through artistic choices, mark making, point of view and use of space and values, and incorporation of ideas and concepts from mentor artist.

• /20 Composition: The whole page is considered. No unplanned for or dead space. The use of the elements of art and the principles of design create a unified composition.

• /20 Craftsmanship: Materials and techniques are used in a purposeful and artful way, with careful attention to detail .

Describe both the successes and challenges that you encountered as you were working, site specific examples from your work.

Why does it work? Why and how would you change areas less successful?

What benefits did you reap from first exploring options through the exploration of a mentor artist? How did you incorporate the use of a mentor artist into your work? What new discoveries or awareness will you carry forward into your next piece?