Self Portraits

Our next project is to do a Self Portrait using a Digital program such as Photoshop or Illustrator, we had 2 lectures covering this subject, which i can say helped a lot to understand what the artists are thinking or at least suppose to be thinking when representing themselves ( thank you tutor phil). In my point of view the ones who stood out the most were the controversial ones such as Robert Mapplethorpe, Egon Schiele and Frida Kahlo because they are DIFFERENT!! they object the conventional type of portrait where the artist tried to represent beautfully the main element. On the other hand these show simply the true...

Robert Mapplethorpe, Self Portrait, 1988

Robert Mapplethorpe, yes as Tutor Phil advised is an artist that has a quite shocking portfolio, but in my opinion Art is that art is controversy which leads to progress, throughout the History of Art, artist tried to change their styles according to the previous and I think Robert Mapplethorpe is an example of that why stick up with something conventional when you can always try something new.
This picture particurlaly grabbed my attention because as a self portrait, it represents a death of an artist, for the ones who don't know Robbert Mapplethorpe was diagnosed AIDS and he had to live with it for the rest of his short life, so for an artist that knows is going to die create a portrait like this may be something quite disturbing, also is face hold something special something hard to describe, which makes you wonder If he is ready or not. I like the metaphor between the power of an artist only taken by his own death.

Egon Schiele, Self Portrait

Egon Schiele, was also a controversial artists using beautiful brushstrokes creating his inner self with quite disturbing artworks but in fact he was just trying to represent truthfully himself.

Frida Kahlo, The two Fridas, 1939

Frida Kahlo, one great surrealist even though she didn't consider herself as it, because what she portrait in all of her artworks was reality or at least was what she felt at that time, the opposite of surrealism. She transmits what she felt even if it is good or not, the honesty in her work is fascinating.

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