Self Portrait Project

Paul Cezanne, Self-Portrait, Lithograph, ca. 1898-1900, 21x18"

Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Monkey, 1938, Oil on Masonite, 16x12"

Horace Pippin, Self-Portrait, Oil on Canvas Board, 1941, 14x11"

 When I visited the Albright-Knox to take photographs of self portraits, I was surprised to see how much they had changed their art displays. I actually had quite a hard time finding self-portraits, and only managed to find the above three...which I suppose would be the main reason that I chose them. Still, I was always planning on using the Kahlo painting. I like how the world she creates her portraits in is very real, but at the same time feels a little fantastical. I like how her stare is so unflinching and cool, regarding the viewer with no signs of timidness or softness that is typical in female portraits.

Cezanne's self portrait would be the closest in style to how I drew my own. His, like mine, looks very sketchy, and leaves a lot of negative space around the portrait. I like how information that is unnecessary for the print fades away or is omitted, so the viewer's eye rests on his aloof expression, his clothing, and the bit of his canvas that shows. Only the information that contributes to his personality or the message he wants to convey is left in.

Lastly, Pippin's self portrait is somewhat similar to Cezanne's, in that it shows the artist at work on a painting. He, unlike the other two, however, is not looking at the viewer. Instead, he is regarding his artwork. This seems unusual for most self-portraits. I like that he has a slightly satisfied look on his face, showing his enjoyment in what he does for a living. The painting is created in a "primitive" style, but conveys just as much about the artist as the other two. 

Self-Portrait Photograph

Self Portrait Drawing, Sepia Pens

My self portrait was completed in Sepia Artist Pens of various sizes. I chose sepia rather than black because I wanted something that seemed less harsh and softer. I chose to work with pens because it had been awhile since I had used ink, and it used to be my favorite medium to work in. I love how much detail pens can create, while still looking sketchy and half-finished (in a good way). It was hard deciding on how to set up the photograph that it was based on (what angle, how close up), and then it was difficult deciding whether or not I should include anything in the background. Because I choose to draw my face fairly close up, I thought it best to leave the background blank. My head is in the lower right and I'm looking off into the upper right, so the negative space kind of functions like a thinking or dreaming space.

I wanted to represent myself as thoughtful, which is why I'm looking off as I am in the image. The messiness of the hair is pretty accurate, which I think says something of my personality that doesn't really care about such things.  As for elements and principles, the composition is fairly balanced, with the heaviness of the dark ink in the lower right being balanced by the heaviness of the black white space in the upper left. There is a lot of value in the work, achieved by hatching and cross-hatching. The sketchy linework, that goes in various directions, creates a sense of movement.

I did enjoy working on this project, though it didn't turn out quite as well as I would have liked. With pen, you can't erase your mistakes very easily, which is usually a quality I like, but I was bothered by how I made my head too long, which I think makes the drawing look a lot less like me than it could. I always have fun working on self portraits, but I have a lot of trouble judging how much the final image actually looks like me--it's easier to tell when I am drawing someone else's portrait. Now, while I am assessing my work, I sort of wish there was a little bit of a background in my portrait, like is present in the self portrait examples. A background could give a little more information about me, but I also like that I'm surrounded by empty space as I simply consider things. I'm mostly satisfied with it, but with more time I would like to work on it more, or perhaps redo it.