Unit 1:
Self Portraits
Y8 Visual Arts
Task 1: Knowledge and Understanding
What is expressionism, when did it begin, and what were artists trying to do?
The definition of Self Portrait to me.
What is the difference between a Self Portrait and an Expressionist Self Portrait?
A self-portrait will quite often represent the artist while they are making their piece of art of themselves.
Expressionism is a style of art where the artist is trying to represent reality but instead of using the usual physical reality that many people can relate to, they use lots of distortion, emotion, and exaggeration in the art.
To me, a Portrait is a piece of art of a person, usually just the shoulders up or the waist up, and a Self-Portrait is a Portrait that the artist paints of themself.
Expressionism originally started in Germany around the time of 1912.
Artists wanted to find a way to express life without doing exactly what’s real so they exaggerated their art and put lots of emotion into them to get a sort of different kind of relation with the viewers.
Expressionist self-portraits portray an abstract version of the � artist's image of � themself.
Fig. 1: Van Gogh, Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat.
Fig. 3: Munch, Edvard, The Scream.
Fig. 2: Schiele, Egon, Self-portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant.
Is the self-portrait formal, informal, or both? Give reasons why.
What I can tell about the artist’s identity from their self-portrait? Give reasons why.
I think that Portrait of a Man is more on the formal side of art because he looks very serious and he’s wearing very proper clothes and with the dark background and light on mainly just his head, I think it seems very fitting.
In “Portrait of a Man,” Van Eyck is wearing a red turban.
The red is emphasised against the black background and dark clothing, and quite a few religions wear turbans so maybe he was trying to really show what religion he was by emphasising it against everything else.
In art, red can symbolise energy, positivity, action, strength, danger, courage, passion, etc. so maybe he felt one of those emotions while he was painting his self-portrait.
He also looks very serious in the painting so maybe it represents that he’s thinking about something or something is on his mind?
I think that quite a long time ago, art was supposed to be taken seriously at all times, which is why, in old paintings (and contemporary ones but a lot of the time in early ones), you see people with neutral or serious faces rather than smiles or silly faces or whatever.
Earliest Dated Self-Portrait (that I could find)
Fig. 4.2: Detail.
Fig. 4 Van Eyck, Jan, Portrait of a Man.
Fig. 4.1 Detail.
Is the self-portrait formal, informal, or both? Give reasons why.
What I can tell about the artist’s identity from their self-portrait? Give reasons why.
I think that “Self-Portrait with Monkey and Thorn,” is both formal and informal because Kahlo’s got some things in there that many people might consider to be “evil”.
I think that in Kahlo’s “Self-Portrait with Monkey and Thorn,” she looks very serious and the thorn net around her kind of makes her look confined, and there are little bits of blood that you can see if you look very closely at were the thorns go into her skin, so maybe she was going through a stressful phase that she felt she needed to convey somehow when she painted it.
Kahlo’s standing in front of a black cat which, in many places is associated
with black magic, witchcraft, and other kinds of superstition which is almost often associated evil so maybe something happened in her life that made her want to paint that in there - maybe she was feeling like she had done something wrong or � evil and � needed to � express it � in some � way.
There’s lots of different bright colors, plants, bugs, and animals which is not very formal but because of her posture and facial expressions, she looks very serious/posh.
Contemporary (modern) Self-Portrait
Fig. 5.2 Detail.
Fig. 5: Kahlo, Frida, Self-Portrait with Monkey and Thorn.
Fig. 5.1 Detail.
Contrast
Compare
In Kahlo’s “Self-Portrait with Monkey and Thorn,” she’s sitting in a frontal position but in Van Eyck’s “Portrait of a Man,” he’s sitting a little bit more profile.
In both of the self-portraits, the sitters look very serious because neither of them are smiling and they’re both sitting very straight in their seats
Neither of the paintings are full length (the whole body showing).
Both self-portraits are formal.
Both self-portraits are Oil paintings.
Van Eyck’s self-portrait has a plain black background, and he’s wearing black so that his face and turban are emphasised, however in Kahlo’s painting, she’s wearing white and has colorful things like plants, bugs, and animals in the background so their attire and backgrounds are pretty much opposite.
Frida’s painting has more nature in it so I think it’s a bit less formal than Van Eyck’s, but I think they’re still both formal.
In both self-portraits, the sitters are looking at the viewer/audience.
Both sitters and artists have some sort of wrap on their heads, though in Kahlo’s it’s just the top of the head, and in Van Eyck’s it’s all around.
Compare and Contrast Early vs Contemporary
Fig. 4.1 Detail.
Fig. 5.3 Detail.
Fig. 4.3 Detail.
Fig. 5.4 Detail.
Fig. 5.4 Detail.
Fig. 5.1 Detail.
Fig. 5.2: Detail.
Fig. 5.5 Detail.
Fig. 4.3 Detail.
Fig. 5.4 Detail.
Fig. 5.3 Detail.
Evolution
Looking at the two self-portraits I found, you can tell that in the Van Eyck painting, he’s in complete darkness so everything looks dark and emphasizes the red turban, but in the Kahlo painting, everything is light and there’s not really much emphasis on anything in particular.
I think that in the Early days of Portraits and Self-Portraits, they treated them importantly which is why everything is so dark and formal, as opposed to how they are nowadays.
I find that earlier self-portraits tend to, quite often have the sitter in more of a profile stance than frontal but in lots of contemporary self-portraits, the sitter is frontal and staring right at the audience as if trying to communicate a message through the art.
Contemporary self-portraits are often much more colorful and informal than early ones which are usually very formal. I think this is because art used to be taken very seriously and now people are ok if something is strange, different, or silly.
Contemporary self-portraits and art in general also usually look much less realistic than earlier art and self-portraits.
Evolution of Early and Contemporary
Fig. 4: Van Eyck, Jan, Portrait of a Man.
Fig. 5: Kahlo, Frida, Self-Portrait with Monkey and Thorn.
Early
Contemporary
What Elements and Principles has the artist used to communicate and emphasize their identity?
What is the artist telling you about themselves or their emotions? How has this person conveyed this emotion?
How does the style of the self-portrait help communicate the artists identity to an audience?
I think the reason Kokoschka named the painting, “Self-Portrait from Two Sides” is because he was feeling two emotions at once and put them both in a style similar to cubism.
Kokoschka used colors, texture, Line, and Value in his “Self-Portrait from Two Sides” which I believe was to convey confusion and/or other similar emotions.
The way he crafted it with tons of different shades and scratchy, hatched pencil marks can signify insecurity, confusion, anger, etc. and the colors used are a bit dull, but his facial expression also communicates confusion to me.
I think that Kokoschka was confused when he painted “Self-Portrait from Two Sides” because of the dull colors, facial expression and rough-looking texture used.
The colors used (yellow, different greys, different browns, and light beige) are all quite dull and don’t have� a very high � intensity, which � could imply � sadness, loneliness, � etc..
Kokoschka could have been trying to communicate something to someone or just to everybody in general about something that had recently happened.
Expressionist Self-Portrait 1
Fig. 6.1 detail
Fig. 6: Kokoschka, Oskar, Self-Portrait from Two Sides.
Fig. 6.2 detail
What Elements and Principles has the artist used to communicate and emphasize their identity?
What is the artist telling you about themselves or their emotions? How has this person conveyed this emotion?
How does the style of the self-portrait help communicate the artists identity to an audience?
I think that Schiele might have been going through a “blue period” when he painted “Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant”.
His facial expressions, black clothes, visible brush marks, and dull colors help communicate this.
Schiele used texture, color, and Value in “Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant”.
These elements can help to portray many emotions and different parts of the artist’s identity such as what’s happening in their life, their culture, their gender, etc.
I believe Schiele hatched out “Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant with oils.
He could have been trying to blend different shades and colors, and show confusion or other emotions.
The texture used within the artwork helps add extra emotion to the final piece as it makes the audience feel like they can relate to the author who I think was sad/upset when he painted “Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant”.
Schiele’s posture and facial expressions can make the audience imagine that the artist is going through a rough time because he has one shoulder raised in a sort-of half-shrug and his head is tilted off to one side. His face also looks long/upset which also adds to the effect.
Expressionist Self-Portrait 2
Fig. 7.2 detail
Fig. 7.1 detail
Fig. 7: Schiele, Egon, Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant.
Fig. 7.3 detail
Task 2: Developing Skills
Picture 2 - Colored Pencil
28/01/2022 23/01/2022
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Picture 1 - Pencil
Picture 3 - Paint
Color Theory
Task 3: Self Portraits
Frida Kahlo
Brief History
The artist that I am basing my final self-portrait off of is Frida Kahlo. Her main medium is oil. When she was 18, she got hit by a bus, which crushed her foot, dislocated her shoulder, broke her collarbone, two ribs, and her leg. When she was in the hospital, the only thing that brought her joy was her art. She made many of her masterpieces there and attended one of her art exhibitions in her hospital bed, which was transported to the exhibit for her. Some of the art periods that Kahlo frequently used were Magic Realism, Symbolism, and Surrealism. Some of Kahlo’s most famous pieces are Self Portrait with Monkey and Thorn (1940), The Two Fridas (1939), and The Wounded Deer (1946), amongst others.
Fig. 8 Kahlo, Frida, Me and My Parrot.
Experiments with Media/Development of skills and techniques
I tried working with oils and I found it unsuccessful because the brushes were very hard to clean and it was hard to get it on evenly, and with the splotches that Kahlo used in the background. Instead of using Oil in my final, I have chosen to use Acrylic Paints.
Personal Reflections
The colors that Kahlo uses are dull colors such as browns, tans, and maroons, as well as some yellows, purples, blues, etc. for the Parrots. This gives the painting a feeling of warmth and maturity, however the darkness adds a slight sense of depression to the piece.
First-Hand Observations
In Kahlo’s self portrait, Me and My Parrot, You can see that she has something on either shoulder and in between her arms which she likes (in this case, her parrots).
Oils
Acrylic
Paints
Responses to Artists and their Works
In Me and My Parrot, the sitter (Kahlo) is painted in front of a brown background, with an appearance created by Flat Wash and Scumbling, however in my self-portrait, I will use green because it goes nicely with my hair color and makes my eyes pop. I will also probably be holding my cat, Ginger, and have my friend’s rabbits on my shoulders, to signify my love for animals.
Fig. 8.1 detail
Fig. 8.2 detail
Fig. 8.3 detail
Fig. 5: Kahlo, Frida, Self-Portrait with Monkey and Thorn.
Fig. 9: Kahlo, Frida, The Two Fridas.
Part 2 Planning for your own Self Portrait
Answer the following with detailed writing and sketches:
Sketches Images
Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
The Chosen One
Sketch 1 & Annotations
In my first sketch, I drew the outline of myself then drew on dutch
braids because I wear them a lot and I feel like it’s kind of Frida
Kahlo-esc, and a shirt that is tie-dyed but the colors aren’t very
saturated to match the scheme of Me and My Parrot.
Dutch Braids
Tie-Dye Shirt with dull-ish colors
I chose this plan over the others because I thought the colors all went nicely together and the hairstyle that Kahlo is wearing in Me and My Parrot looks like a braided updo so I did my hair like that as well. I also wear my hair like that a lot and I love tie-dye so it’s a good mix of Amina and Frida Kahlo.
Sketch 2 & Annotation
In my second sketch, I just drew myself with my hair down,
wearing a grey shirt that has black, leafy peace signs on it,
and colored the background blue.
Blue Background
Hair Down
Grey shirt with Black Leafy Peace Signs
Sketch 3 & Annotations
In my third sketch, I drew myself with my hair in little bunches on
top of my head because I wear my hair like that quite a bit but it
was hard to make it look good. In this sketch, I am wearing a
butter yellow tank top, and am in front of a darker yellow
background.
Half-up Half-down pig tails
Butter-yellow tank top
Final Sketch
For my final sketch, I drew the face from my original first picture, The cat from a picture I had my mom take, and the Carmine and Little bee-eaters from an online webpage. I have decided that in my final I will do bee-eaters which can be found in malawi instead of rabbits because they represent that I live in Africa, yet they still show my love for animals. For the cat, I will also paint her black because I feel like it will make my painting look more like Frida Kahlo’s art.
Carmine Bee-Eater used in Final
Little Bee-Eater used in Final
Cat and arm position used in Final
Face picture used in Final
Shirt used in Final
Figure List
Figure 1. Van Gogh, Vincent, Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat. 1887, The Met Museum, Oil Paint, 41cm x 32cm.
Figure 2. Schiele, Egon, Self-portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant. 1912, Leopold Museum, Oil and gouaches on board, 32.4cm x 40.2cm.
Figure 3. Munch, Edvard, The Scream. 1893, the National Gallery, Oil, Tempera, and Pastel on Cardboard, 91cm x 73.5cm.
Figure 4. Van Eyck, Jan, Portrait of a Man. 1433, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Oil on Oak, 26cm x 19cm.
Figure 5. Kahlo, Frida, Self-Portrait with Hummingbird and Thorn. 1940, Harry Ransom Center Austin, Texas, Oil on Canvas, 61.25cm x 47cm.
Figure 6. Kokoschka, Oskar, Self-Portrait from Two Sides. 1923, UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Hammer Museum, Color lithograph, 62.2cm x 47.6cm.
Figure 7. Schiele, Egon, Self-Portrait with Chinese Lantern Plant. 1912, Leopold Museum, Oil Painting, 398cm x 322cm.
Figure 8. Kahlo, Frida, Me and My Parrot. 1941, High Museum of Art, Oil on Canvas, 82cm x 63cm.
Figure 9. Kahlo, Frida, The Two Fridas. 1939, Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Oil on Canvas, 1.74m x 1.73m.
Bibliography
CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slideshow, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Expressionism - Artistic Style." Britannica, www.britannica.com/art/Expressionism. Accessed 16 Nov. 2021.
Roberts, Ivy. "Identifying the Self-Portrait." Study.com, 2021, study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-self-portrait-definition-artists-examples.html#:~:text=A%20self%2Dportrait%20will%20often,his%20or%20her%20own%20image.&text=Expressionist%20self%2Dportraits%20convey%20a,or%20her%20sense%20of%20self. Accessed 17 Nov. 2021.