Final Semester Project

Self-Portrait Vs Selfie

As we all know a selfie is very popular nowadays. The current rage for selfies among shooters of all ages and backgrounds comes as no surprise. Selfies are smartphones produced version of self-portrait. Selfies are casual, a mode of daily conversation and connection. Selfies are not necessarily something to keep but rather to simply share a moment.                                                                                                                                                

But way before selfies existed there was what they call self-portraits.  Unlike selfies, self-portraits are a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by an artist. Self-portraits are therefore a self-engaged pursuit for recognition of self. Most artists want to convey something about who they are.

While Painting the artist is engaged in every details. Although I am not an artist, but I can relate to some artists that painted themselves, because I went through the experience, I painted my self-portrait. My goal with self-portrait was to create art. I looked up several female artists like Frida Khalo, and Artemisia Gentileshi who have painted themselves, whose personal feelings, and emotions are deeply embedded in their self-portraits. Their self-portraits have gotten recognized greatly in an era when women painters were not easily accepted by the artistic community or patrons.

My self-portrait Vs my selfie

               Artemisia Gentileschi, Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting 1638–9,

                                             Frida Kahlo, “Fulang Chang and I,” (1937)