Self-Portrait:

A True Self ?
By:
Sophie Johnson
traces

of the self

explode

out of the

human physicality
fingerprints

are

left behind

without



moments

thought
hair follicles

imitate



hitchhikers



wandering



along



desert

roads
the
molecules
le2
behind
from
a
breath




l
i
n
g
e
r



in


the


air

 
Such is true for artists
and their work. Artists put all
of their self into the art they
produce. Depending on the
archival nature of the art,
centuries down the line that art
will be revisited when the artist
is no longer a member of the
human social network. Every
piece of art in existence
harbors traces of its maker.
Whether it lies within the
context of the art, the way the
materials are used, or the
literal subject matter, the artist
creates in a unique manner
according to their own aesthetic
preferences. Who is to argue
that all art is not a true
representation of the artist?
Perhaps a self-portrait presents
the obvious nature of the self
that the artist wishes to
display, but is it a true
representation? Can the viewer
entrust their opinion of the artist’s
true self based on the artist’s
depiction of his or her own
appearance?
 Personal life experiences
reverberate across every artist’s
work. In turn, the artist’s self is
represented in every work they
produce. Self-Portraiture does not
stand alone in the personification of
the artist; all pieces in an artist’s
collection illustrate the artist’s
identity. However, according to
Gasser the artist’s self portrait
allows us humble outsiders a
glimpse at the intimacy housed in
an artist’s self-portrait (Gasser, 7). 


Is that intimacy the ultimate truth?

Perhaps not…

Here in lies the conundrum.

 
The exploration of the self-portrait as a true representation of the self begins
with the analysis of artist’s Kiki Smith and LUCAS SAMARAS. Smith and
Samaras both include a series of self-portraits in their repertoire. Smith has multiple
subject matters in the body of her work, where as Samaras focuses solely on the self
as his subject matter.
 Kiki Smith is an artist who works
primarily in sculpture, but also
experimented with printmaking. Before
attending the Universal Limited Art
Editions in 1989, she primarily used a
neutral figure as forms in her art (Weitman, 24).
While in attendance at ULAE, she began to
use her own image as the forms in her
prints. 

 “There’s
something
really
nice about
transgress
ing your
own image.
It’s
endlessly
amusing to
make
yourself
horrific-
looking”-
Kiki Smith
(Weitman, 25)
 Smith uses herself as
an image in many Smith exaggerates her
different ways. In her physical flaws in many of
piece Banshee Pearls her self-portraits (Weitman,

(1991) she toys with 25). In her untitled self-

reality by using negative portraits she produced in
photograph images of her 1993, she uses her face
face in graphic transfers as the
and contrasting the subject matter in a
photorealism with blurry hauntingly bleak way
mask-like masses with the
(Weitman, 26). Smith’s choice
resulting aesthetic that
to present herself in the
dwindles between creepy
way that likens her image
and beautiful (Weitman, 25). to that of a ghost or a
Here, Smith revisits a
banshee forces her
childhood memory of her
audience to relate to her
father calling her a
on a more personal level
banshee and uses this
than a simple photograph
recollection as the
could achieve.
inspiration for this
piece (Weitman, 25).

“I made a
celebration of being
a death figure” –
Kiki Smith
(Weitman, 25)
 In contrast, Lucas Samaras is an artist who solely produces self-
portraits as his method of choice.

“When I fall in
love with somebody,
I invariably
discovered that I
did not receive
from them what my
education and
fantasy required.
As a result, I
shifted myself to
myself.”
– Lucas Samaras
(Prather, 44)


Kuspit explains that Samaras constantly shifts back to the self as the
object of his affection, and in turn portrays that in his art (Prather, 44).
 Samaras self-portraits are
a journey through the artist’s life.
The differences in the variety of
his portraits reflect the multiple
aspects of being human. To truly
be able to capture the self in one
painting or drawing is near
impossible. Samaras uses his
entire career to strive to capture
the self, and in doing so is able to
explore every unique aspect of his

persona. 


“Samaras’s
creativity feeds on
itself, rummaging
through the past to
find an artistic
future, which is
what narcissistic,
myth-making memory
always does” –
(Prather, 57)
 At the root of
every one of Samaras’s
self-portraits is a
primordial presence

(Prather, 50). Self-portraits

in nature are about
self-
representation.
Samaras portraits
preserve the nature of
the self the way many
self-portraits cannot

(Prather, 50). Samara

attached all of his

experiences from his
life to his work, the way
Smith draws
inspiration from her life
and portrays that in her
art. However, Samara
titled all of his art as a
representation of
himself, whereas Smith
chose to use various
subject matters.
 
An artist’s content is a true
representation of who they are. Content
may change based on different
revelations and moments in an artist’s
life, but it always relates back to the
artist’s experience.

At what point can the artist ever be

separated from their art?

Whether the chosen subject matter is a

self-portrait or a landscape,

the artist is
always present in
the art.
Bibliography

1.  Gasser, M. (1961). Self-portraits. NY, NY: Appleton-Century.

2.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of
lucas samaras. NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
3.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of
Modern Art.

Images

1.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.

NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
2.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
3.   http://wings.buffalo.edu/english/faculty/conte/syllabi/377/Images/
Johns_Skins.jpg
4.  http://gimps.de/pictures/albums/userpics/10001/hairstyles-for-short-
hair.jpg
5.  Sophie Johnson. (2010). Fargo, ND.
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NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
7.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
8.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
9.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
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13.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
14.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
15.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
16.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
17.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
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NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
19.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
20.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
21.  Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.
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NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
23.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.
24.  Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas samaras.
NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.