PROJECT PAPER

Self Portrait

Self Portrait

Introduction

A self-portrait may be a portrait of the artist, or a portrait included in a larger work, including a group portrait. Many painters are said to have included depictions of specific individuals, including themselves, in painting figures in religious or other types of composition. Such paintings were not intended publicly to depict the actual persons as themselves, but the facts would have been known at the time to artist and patron, creating a talking point as well as a public test of the artist's skill.

In the earliest surviving examples of medieval and renaissance self-portraiture, historical or mythical scenes (from the Bible or classical literature) were depicted using a number of actual persons as models, often including the artist, giving the work a multiple function as portraiture, self-portraiture and history/myth painting. In these works, the artist usually appears as a face in the crowd or group, often towards the edges or corner of the work and behind the main participants. Rubens's The Four Philosphers (1611-12) is a good example. This culminated in the 17th century with the work of Jan de Bray. Many artistic media have been used; apart from paintings, drawings and prints have been especially important (Volkoff, 1975).

Discussion

The long-established genre of self-portraiture is irresistible for most artists. They may not do it regularly, but they have all done so at one point. We all have - whether we are a photographer or not. The urge to photograph oneself is something of a compulsion. It's easy now: just turn the camera and shoot. And what is more fascinating or puzzling than a picture of yourself? But what does it actually say about you? How can it be anything more than a mere meaningless reproduction of the real thing?

The most common understanding of self-portraiture is that it reveals ...