The first artist to make self portraiture the trademark of his work was Rembrant who chronicled his changing appearance as well as brought a psychological depth to his self imaging.He depicted his changing physical appearance (a poetry of age and imperfections) as well as social status over the years.Despite recording his gradually ageing face, the accessories and costumes he used in portraits indicated how Rembrandt wished to present himself at any given time , in some cases to aid his pursuit of fortune and in later life to support his fame.His idea was present the ideal aspect of himself, in order to memorialise himself .His self images seemed to present the selective nature of memory.(This is often witnessed on Facebook where people present selective images to create glorified stories around their social status and lives).
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| Rembrant, Self Portrait, 1658 |
Vincent Van Gogh 's candid self portraits documented his deteriorating mental health over the years. His self images reflect the actualities of life far more directly and construct an autobiography based on life circumstances.His often painful baring of both life and soul makes the private public and paves the way for confessional practices associated with contemporary autobiographical works.However both Rembrandt and Van Gogh presented their portraits within the conventions of mirror likeness with head and shoulders and a similarity of appearance .Exception to this format is found in two self images in which Van Gogh has substituted his face with that of Christ(Pieta, 1889) and secondly for that of Lazurus(The raising of Lazurus , Van Gogh appropriated religious iconography ingrained in cultural memory to find a vehicle for themes of death and resurrection pertinent to his situation both as an invalid and as an artist.
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| Vincent Van Gogh " Pieta" 1889 |
Frida Kahlo used autobiographical symbolism with cultural symbolism combined with the conventional format of mirror likeness to refer to the larger socio political context she inhabits and to stage key moments in her life.The micro politics of her relationship with her husband Diego Rivera are mapped to the macro politics of postcolonial identity combined with her traumatic experiences in her personal life led Kahlo to create complex portraits filled with symbols and metaphors.Here, memory is not an instrument for exploring the past but a medium through which that has been experienced is relived, processed and redeemed.
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| Frida Kahlo "The Two Fridas" 1939 |
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