We will investigate various forms of self-portraiture. This is a continuation of the June 14th presentation that was cut short due to a power outage
"Selfie" was named as 2013 ‘word of the year’ by Oxford Dictionaries. Why are we obsessed with images of ourselves?
From the early self-portraits of Dürer to the expressive paintings of van Gogh to the visceral works of Tracy Emin, the concept of the self-portrait is highly subjective and intentionally edited, as the artist reveals and conceals components of their identity. As James Hall writes in The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History, “The self-portrait invites the viewer to meet the gaze of its creator, making it the most compelling of all artistic genres.”
Why has the genre of self-portraiture flourished? How does self-portraiture define our understanding of these artists’ oeuvres? What are the stylistic, psychological, biographical, and cultural components? How honest are these depictions of “self”? What is the role of ego? In this course, analyze works and writings of these artists and explore these questions. We will begin to explore this concepts by analyzing compelling self-portraits.
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