ANALYSING SOME EXPRESSIVE SELF-PORTRAITS

Artists often create self-portraits to depict their emotional, spiritual, or physical self. By looking the poses, facial
expressions and mood (created by the lighting and tone) we can interpret what they think about themselves

DESCRIBING THE IMAGE:

What is the picture?
What is the pose?
What is the expression on the face?
Where is the light coming from?

ANALYSING and INTERPRETING THE IMAGE:

How were light and dark values (tone) used in this work?
What is the mood or feeling of the work?
What do you think is says about the artist and their view of themselves?

EXAMPLE:

Gustave Courbet, Self-Portrait (as the Desperate Man), 1845,oil on canvas, 45 x 54 cm

Private Collection

In this self-portrait you can see the artist looking directly at us with his arms raised to his
head, clenching his hair, with tensed muscles showing in his wrists and forearms. His
arms and body fill almost all the picture. Behind him you can see some blank wall.
He appears to be leaning forwards. His eyes are wide open and you can see most of his
pupils. His eyebrows are raised and his mouth is slightly open
The light is coming from above and slightly from the left. The light is only hitting the
forehead, the nose and his raised arms, with most of his face is in shadow. The light also
hits the wall in the left background but not the right.
The is a very strong contrast of light and dark, especially on the face
The pose, expression and lighting create a powerful dramatic feeling, and a sense of
very strong emotions such as fear and maybe hopelessness. The title “Self-Portrait (as
the Desperate Man)” also suggests these strong emotions.
The artist portrays himself as a passionate person. It suggests the idea of the intense
romantic artist.
DESCRIBE AND ANALYSE FOUR SELF-PORTRAITS

Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait with Beret, 1630, Chuck Close Big Self-Portrait 1967-68 Acrylic
Etching. 51 x 46 mm. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam on canvas 273 x 212cm Walker Art Center, USA

Louis-Léopold Boilly, Self-Portrait c.1822-23, Käthe Kollwitz Self-Portrait, (Hand at the Forehead)
Chalk on light brown paper, Private collection 1910, Etching 15.4 x 13.9 cm MoMA
Image from the Katonah Museum of Art.
Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait as a Young Man, 1628,
Oil on Board, 22.5 X 18.6 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Egon Schiele Self-Portrait with Eyelid Pulled Arnulf Rainer Untitled (Face Farce) 1971 Oil pastel
Down, 1910 chalk, gouache and watercolor on oil paint on black and white photograph 60 x 50cm Tate
paper 44.3 x 30.5 cm Albertina Austria