This gallery includes self-portraits of well-known artists from different periods and distinct art movements. The production of self-portraits is a definite part of art history and a window into how the artist views him or herself. The canvas becomes a mirror that reflects the relationship between the artist and the reality in which he or she lives.
Self-Portrait in Hell, Edvard Munch, 1903, From the collection of: The Munch Museum, Oslo
Edvard Munch was known for being a disturbed artist who used art as an escape for his troubled mind. Like his other paintings, Munch’s self-portraits also carry with them a strong psychological weight. In this self-portrait, the artist is standing nude in a dark and foreboding setting, likely a metaphor for his own life. The palette is mostly analogous and is composed in its majority by warm colors such as yellow, orange and red, which helps illustrate the flames of hell surrounding him.
Self-Portrait, Vincent van Gogh, 1889, From the collection of: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
For Van Gogh, painting self-portraits was more than just an opportunity to improve his technique. It was also a method of learning about himself and his state of mind. In this one, the weight of the brush strokes reveals the psychological aspects of the painter, who had recently been released from a mental hospital. The swirl of the lines from the background blends with the undulating lines of his clothing and face, which could represent that the painter was going through a battle inside himself to maintain his sanity and survive in the real world.
More than half of Frida Kahlo’s paintings are self-portraits, and they usually contain a lot of symbolism. Kahlo’s life was marked by physical suffering and pain due to injuries she received in a bus accident when she was a teenager. This self-portrait clearly depicts her struggle to live with the consequences of those injuries. At the same time, the organic lines and shapes bring a sense of calmness, as if she was in control of the situation, despite the pain.
Diego Rivera was well known for his political paintings and his eccentric life with his wife, Frida Kahlo. After her death in that same year, the artist painted this self-portrait that depicts him at the end of his life, with a tired and skeptical face, which could represent the sadness and exhaustion he was experiencing. The color red around him creates a negative space that contrasts well with the warm colors of his wrinkled face, and it could also represent a feeling of pain.
Head of a Man, LS Lowry, 1938 - 1938, From the collection of: The Lowry
During his life, Laurence Stephen Lowry’s work gained only superficial recognition from experts and art critics. The idea of only being considered an amateur painter always bothered the artist. In addition, Lowry never liked to paint self-portraits, and in this one, the discomfort of his own image is clearly represented in both the color palette and facial expression. The painting is composed mostly of five colors: black, white, yellow, red and blue.
Self-Portrait, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1876, From the collection of: Harvard Art Museums
The impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir usually used different shades of blue, green and pink on his paintings, and this self-portrait is one more example of his style. Renoir is also known for using a thick brush that gives volume and texture to the image, another technique demonstrated here. It is interesting to note how the face is static, while the hands have a sort of "motion blur” to them. This could indicate that the artist was trying not just to paint his own portrait, but to simulate the act of painting as well.
Selfportrait, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1630, From the collection of: Nationalmuseum Sweden
Rembrandt painted some of the most famous self-portraits in history. In a few examples, he could be recognized as the precursor of what we know today as the “selfie”. The artist portrayed himself more than a hundred times during his life, and he always kept his image as close as possible to reality. This self-portrait depicts the artist with a pensive face, as if he was absorbed deep in thought. The painting has an analogous palette. It is almost monochrome, featuring different shades of yellow as its main colors, which contrast with the black of his outfit.
Self-Portrait, Paul Cézanne, 1878-1880, From the collection of: The Phillips Collection
Paul Cézanne is another impressionist artist who painted a series of self-portraits. An interesting detail of these paintings is that the artist usually portrays himself in the same position, with his body angled to the side, while his face is half-turned toward the viewer. The expression on his face seems always apprehensive, as if the painter would not appreciate being observed. Most of his self-portraits were painted with thick strokes and dark colors, as if the painter was trying to hide behind the shadows.
Self-portrait [The Great Colonel], David Alfaro Siqueiros, 1945, From the collection of: Museo Nacional de Arte
David Alfaro Siqueiros was a Mexican painter who believed that art was the ideal medium to transmit revolutionary values. Siqueiros adopted Marxism as ideology, which heavily influenced his work, mostly comprised of political subjects. In this self-portrait he uses exaggerated proportions, which create a three-dimensional illusion of distance and depth, as if his hand is almost coming out of the canvas to grab the viewer and get his or her attention.
Self Portrait, Andy Warhol, 1967, From the collection of: Detroit Institute of Arts
Andy Warhol’s work is known by its dominance of repetition and dramatic colors. In this self-portrait, the artist once again explores the explosion of colors and textures that made him one of the biggest icons of the pop art movement. Warhol gave his paintings an almost industrial mass-production character, making the method of creation as much a part of the final product as the subject itself. It was as if reality was treated as a photographic negative, something that should be left out. His own image was no exception.
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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
