Download - Self Portrait
Self-Portrait:A True Self ?
By:Sophie Johnson
traces
of the self
explode
out of the
human physicality
fingerprints
are
left behind
without
a
moments
thought
hair follicles
imitate
hitchhikers
wandering
along
desert
roads
the molecules left 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 different ways. In
her piece Banshee Pearls
(1991) she toys with
reality by using negative
photograph images of her
face in graphic transfers
and contrasting the
photorealism with blurry
mask-like masses with the
resulting aesthetic that
dwindles between creepy
and beautiful (Weitman, 25).
Here, Smith revisits a
childhood memory of her
father calling her a
banshee and uses this
recollection as the
inspiration for this
piece (Weitman, 25).
“I made a
celebration of
being a death
figure” – Kiki
Smith(Weitman, 25)
Smith exaggerates her
physical flaws in many of
her self-portraits (Weitman,
25). In her untitled self-
portraits she produced in
1993, she uses her face
as the
subject matter in a
hauntingly bleak way
(Weitman, 26). Smith’s choice
to present herself in the
way that likens her image
to that of a ghost or a
banshee forces her
audience to relate to her
on a more personal level
than a simple photograph
could achieve.
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.jpg4. http://gimps.de/pictures/albums/userpics/10001/hairstyles-for-
short-hair.jpg5. Sophie Johnson. (2010). Fargo, ND.6. Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas
samaras. 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.10. Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas
samaras. NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.11. Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas
samaras. NY, NY: Whitney Museum of Art.12. Weitman, W. (2003). Kiki smith. NY, NY: The Museum of Modern Art.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.18. Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas
samaras. 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.22. Prather, M. (2003). Unrepentant ego: the self-portraits of lucas
samaras. 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.