Artists self portraits

The objective of this research was to look at five or six self portraits of artists that have personal appeal, with a broad time span and a range of techniques. Where possible, compare these with portraits of the same sitter by other artists.

Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641)

Fig. 1. Sir Anthony van Dyck, self portrait c. 1640
(Npg.org.uk, 2019)

The National Portrait Gallery writes that this portrait by van Dyck (see figure 1) is one of three known self-portraits painted by the artist when he was in England and probably dates from the last years of his life. (Npg.org.uk, 2019)

Van Dyck could be considered as the vanguard for self-portraits for British artists in the seventeenth-century. Here, the artist is side on to the viewer with his head twisted over his right shoulder. The artist shows himself fashionably dressed and apparently in the act of painting, with his right arm raised suggesting he is in the process of applying paint to a canvas just out of sight.

The costume appears to have been painted vigorously with a broad dry paint, compared with the face which is handled with soft fine brush strokes. This may suggest that aspects of the painting were experimental, unfinished or a distraction from his formal court portraits. Alternatively, this could have been a seventeenth-century ‘selfie’, be it to capture changes in his own appearance, or present to a friend or family member.

Most striking for this portrait is the gaze held between the artist and the viewer, which genuinely observes you as come into view. It remains unclear if there is a significance to him looking out of the painting, but I feel it’s telling of an artist who is trying to connect and communicate with his audience.

Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)

Gustave’ Courbet’s self portrait A Desperate Man 1843-45, is painted with almost photo-realism. The smooth lines and perfection of form reflect the style of the Romantic school of painting. Soft skin tones are emphasised by red cheeks to evoke emotion to the painting. His gaze is fixed and penetrating, lips slightly apart and fingers gripped to tense the muscle in his forearm. The use of light and shade in the folds of his shirt and the facial expression of a worried man adds a real energy to this painting.

The Desperate Man (Self-Portrait), 1843 – 1845 – Gustave Courbet ((www.wikiart.org, 2019)

Portraits of Vincent Van Gogh by different artists

When comparing portraits of the same sitter by different artists I select portraits that were produced within short succession to one another. In this case Vincent van Gogh, 1886, by John Russell, and Vincent van Gogh Painting Sunflowers, 1888, by Paul Gauguin, by owned by the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. Van Gogh had a close friendship with Russel and Gauguin during his life time. When I look at these paintings I often try to surmise what the artists were trying to portray and why and how this was influenced by the state of their friendship at that time.

In the Portrait of Van Gogh by John Russell, (above, left) van Gogh appears smartly dressed, well groomed, upright and intellectual. The fingers and thumb of Van Gogh’s right hand are shown holding a pencil, as opposed to a paintbrush, perhaps suggesting an element of sophistication in that of an educated scholar. He glances over his left shoulder looking out from the canvas with his gaze somewhat downcast in an elusive, half-hearted attempt to engage with his audience. The undertones may suggest that Russell was attempting to introduce some psychological insight into his sitter’s character. Given van Gogh’s own use of bright, lucid colours, Russel paints his subject against a dark and featureless background. Lighting is left to right but the twist of the head catches it with drama and atmosphere. The brushwork on the face and hand is noticeably more broken, tentative and suggestive. Some years later, in a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh expressed his delight with the finished painting.

In Gauguin’s portrait of Van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh Painting Sunflowers (above, right) the artist admitted that the painting wasn’t a good likeness of his subject. In fact, its disturbingly inaccurate. The low forehead, sunken eyes and flattened nose are almost ape-like. The sunflowers perhaps provides more of an indication as to who the sitter is rather than any facial likeness. At the time of the painting both artist and sitter were flatmates. They had spent considerable time in each others company and were constantly bickering, resulting in the loss of an ear on van Gogh’s behalf. I therefore wonder if the painting reflects an alternative psychological insight into the sitter’s character, or perhaps their declining friendship, or possibly hinting van Gogh’s declining mental health. Unlike Russell, Gauguin portrays van Gogh as if he was unintelligent or primitive. The downward composition of the painting suggest that the painter held a literal stance above van Gogh and likely believed he was superior. There is a counter argument that suggests that this portrait could be an homage to van Gogh’s artistic mastery, although I struggle to imagine that this would have been anything but disappointing to van Gogh who wasn’t exactly pleased with the finished product.

Comparing self-portraits by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Of the thousands of paintings that Picasso is believed to have painted a number were self-portraits, often reflecting the various periods of his artistic career. For this exercise I have selected Self-portrait with coat (1901-02) and Self-portrait (1907).

In the earlier of these two paintings Self-portrait with coat painted in 1901, Picasso appears pale and emaciated and portrays the deep melancholy of Picasso’s so-called Blue Period. This marks a profound change in Picasso’s artistic and personal life during which he creates a pictorial world in shades of blue – ‘a sad and hopeless world of those on the fringe of society…beggars, the blind, lonely and impoverished’. (Buchholz and Zimmerman, 2005, p. 21) Picasso used these motifs to reflect his own personal life, sombre reflections and three long years of mourning the death of his friend Casagemas in 1901. Working through his pain to finally achieved his own deliverance from the dark depths of human nature. (Walther, 2007) Although he was only twenty years old at the time he appears considerably older in this portrait. His face is drawn and gaunt relieved only by the hint of orange-red lips, his beard is scraggy and the collar of his greatcoat is pulled high around his neck which with the use of cool tones present an image of austerity. The psychological intensity and sombre mood are portrayed through his hallucinatory gaze, reminiscent of Russell’s self-portrait of van Gogh.

In the wake of painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) Cubism became an adventure that Picasso and Georges Braque undertook together. In close collaboration they created a completely new language of forms. A self-portrait (1907) represents the beginning of this new creative stage in which Picasso’s new knowledge of Iberian art and sculpture is manifested. The Iberian elements are present in large eyes and steep triangular shaped nose.

Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945)

The name and artwork of Käthe Kollwitz will will most likely evoke images of bereavement, anguish, suffering and death. Her reputation for defining universal human experiences and her exploration of the subject of mourning is renowned. (Mahler, 2016) Her exploration of the human condition was echoed through a life-long practice of self-portraiture, producing in access of 100 self-portraits before her death in 1945. The majority of her artwork is monochromatic palette and without any defining background presenting a sense of isolation, while harsh lines and intense marks depict a deep sense of emotion and intensity.

Käthe Kollwitz Self-portrait 1934 Lithograph on wove paper National Gallery of Canada Ottawa Photo NGC

Lucian Freud (1922-2011)

During his life time Freud produced many self-portraits, not least because he wanted to understand the rigours his sitters had to endure. For Freud his self portraits were often naked, alone and brutally honest. Freud was renowned for her intense gaze and merciless explicit paintings. Of all Frauds self-portraits I find Reflection – Self Portrait 1985, of particular interest. Here we see that Freud’s gaze is elsewhere, his eyes appear to be inward looking. His head cast a dramatic shadow on his chest indicated that it is painted under bright light from above the sitter. His visible brushwork and impasto technique are as identifiable to the artist as is his self-portrait. (Freud et al., 2012)

Lucian Freud, Reflection, 1985 (Freud et al., 2012)

References:

Buchholz, E. and Zimmerman, B. (2005). Picasso. Langenscheidt Pub Inc, pp.21,33.

Freud, L., Howgate, S., Auping, M. and Richardson, J. (2012). Lucian Freud. London: National Portrait Gallery, pp.32-33.

https://www.pablopicasso.org. (2019). Self Portrait, 1901 by Pablo Picasso. [online] Available at: https://www.pablopicasso.org/self-portrait.jsp [Accessed 19 May 2019].

Mahler, L. (2016). Käthe Kollwitz | MoMA. [online] The Museum of Modern Art. Available at: https://www.moma.org/artists/3201 [Accessed 21 May 2019].

Nga.gov. (n.d.). Self-Portrait. [online] Available at: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.34042.html [Accessed 21 May 2019].

Ngprague.cz. (2019). Národní galerie Praha. [online] Available at: https://www.ngprague.cz [Accessed 19 May 2019].

Npg.org.uk. (2019). Sir Anthony van Dyck – National Portrait Gallery. [online] Available at: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw245199/Sir-Anthony-van-Dyck [Accessed 19 May 2019].

Walther, I. (2007). Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973. Köln: Taschen, pp.15-16, 32-36.

http://www.wikiart.org. (2019). The Desperate Man (Self-Portrait), 1843 – 1845 – Gustave Courbet – WikiArt.org. [online] Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/gustave-courbet/the-desperate-man-self-portrait-1845 [Accessed 21 May 2019].

mmerman, B. (2005). Picasso. Langenscheidt Pub Inc, pp.21,33.