When a creator presents himself as an artistic work, it means he is making a self-portrait. This concept can be applied to various disciplines such as painting, sculpture, photography or literature .
In recent years, social networks have brought into fashion a specific version of self-image, the selfie.
Examples in art history
In ancient Egyptian stone engravings, artists already left evidence of themselves. This trend is known as signed self-portrait.
The painter Vincent Van Gogh is known worldwide because his works are quoted on the art market at very high prices. However, he was not recognized in his life and lived in very precarious conditions. As he could not afford models to pose, he decided to paint thirty self-portraits.
The Mexican painter Frida Kahlo has portrayed herself on many occasions, and in all of them there are direct references to her personal situation, especially those related to physical suffering and her love life.
In the book of poems “Campos de Castilla”, the Spanish writer Antonio Machado describes himself in the poem Portrait. Throughout the reading, there is an autobiographical journey about her vital and literary trajectory.
American photographer Lee Friedlander recorded his image in all kinds of everyday situations. In fact, in 1970, he published a book of self-portraits entitled precisely as “Self-Protait”.
The selfie is the 21st century self-portrait
On Facebook , Instagram and other social networks, the image itself has a unique role. We show our image in all kinds of situations to communicate something about our identity as individuals. This phenomenon has several motivations, as it is a fad, but it also refers to the need for reaffirmation and inner inquiry about ourselves.
Selfies are common among young people, as adolescence is the period necessary to build their own identity. Another aspect related to selfies is the issue of social comparison , since the self-image projected on social networks is a kind of permanent competition (the image receives a classification through a certain number of “likes” or “retweets” by the other).
