Dating back to ancient Egypt approximately 5000 years ago, portraiture - whether drawn, engraved, painted or sculpted - proved the only means to depict someone before the emergence of photography. Artist’s self-portraits provide an interesting sub-group to portraiture. With the focus turned inward on the artist to place themselves as the subject, the practice can be revelatory in revealing how they depict and view themselves. The myriad of methods, styles and settings - from realism to abstract, solo to larger group portraits, multiple mirror perspectives, at work or resting - introduce intrigue to discover the artist’s interpretation of themselves.
This self-portrait of Roy Lichtenstein (c.1949-50), created from brush on india ink and crayon on paper, is Lichtenstein’s earliest known self-portrait. Following his first group exhibition in New York in 1948, the following year proved to be a seminal year for Lichtenstein: in March he received an MFA from OSU and completed his MFA thesis ‘Paintings, Drawings, and Pastels’; in June he married Isabel Sariskey; in September he began working towards his PhD; and in December he exhibited twenty oils and pastels alongside two ceramicists at Ten Thirty Gallery. It may have been the culmination of these accomplishments in his personal and private life, or the anticipation and knowledge of these impending significant changes (we do not know which month this self-portrait was sketched in 1949) which propelled him to sketch his earliest known self-portrait. This depiction of himself indicates that he may have wanted to record himself during this time of discovery and development.
Lichtenstein has clearly captured his wide-eyed, cartoon-like eyes as they look out of the frame, possibly in contemplation or studying something. The black wash of india ink surrounding his figure seems to define his head and body, whilst the criss-cross of crayon shows the shading. One of five drawings from a sketchbook that depict flowers and plants, the self-portrait is reminiscent of a set of Twardowicz photographs of Lichtenstein c. 1950.
David Hockney’s ‘Self-Portrait in My Living Room’ was printed in 2021. From an edition of 100, it is an inkjet drawing on archival paper. This print is part of a two-year project titled “220 for 2020”, which comprised a series of personal drawings created during lockdown at a small farmhouse in Normandy. Hockney recorded the shifting spontaneity of the seasons during the pandemic on his iPad. The project proved to be a great source of stimulation for him, as well as offering a source of hope for the nation. For the project, he included drawings from his “La Grande Cour, Rumesnil, Normadie, 26 Juli 2019” sketchbook which this self-portrait belonged to.
The print depicts Hockney on the right of the composition, facing the viewing front on. His raised finger on his right hand adds an animated energy to the scene, as though he is in mid-conversation with us, the viewers. In his trademark spectacles and flat cap, he wears a suit jacket, which coupled with the hat, suggest that it is a cooler day in Normandy. The looseness of his collar and the floppy appearance of his jacket across his shoulders suggest the material may be a casual linen which would be appropriately suited to the strong light beams seen shining through the window on the left of the frame.
The multiple panels of the window are characteristic of a traditional stone Normandy farmhouse. The rigid, geometric squares of the window add a formulaic repetitiveness which are echoed in the beams depicted on the ceiling. The presence of a partially completed painting behind him might indicate that Hockney is in a studio, in production and at work, but the living room location indicated in the title suggests that he is in a place of relaxation and leisure, so the painting, either by himself or another artist, is completed and presumably hangs on the wall behind him. On the right hand side of the frame is the outline of a rectangular door shape, yet the subtle details within the rectangular shape suggest that it is a reflection in a mirror.
The interior setting of this self-portrait adds a domestic intimacy to Hockney’s depiction of himself.
This self-portrait of David Hockney was created in 1982. Created from make-up on paper, there is a playfulness to this self-portrait through his choice of the unconventional artistic material. In this self-portrait, we see Hockney holding a lipstick, and the various smudges of rouge shades shape his face. Beneath his golden hair, the loose spectacles, stubble across his chin, casual cravat across his neck and loose collar give a relaxed, slightly dishevelled, ease. It also looks as though an outline of two faces have been drawn over each other with the overlapping glasses and faint repeat of his upper lift. Whilst Hockney’s left eye looks directly ahead, the raised brown pupil is loosely scrawled beneath a pink eyebrow. The outline of his jaw is defined in a delicately drawn outline on the left and a bolder curve frames the right, echoing the bold outline of his ears. This difference in definition suggests a playful, natural, freeness to the depiction, perhaps indicating how he views himself; not taking the self-portrait process too seriously.
Self Portrait, a silkscreen print from a signed edition of 25, was created by Keith Haring in 1986. The self-portrait reveals a close up depiction of the artist’s oval face, beneath his curly hair, round spectacles and lips, pursed as though in contemplation. His outstretched neck connects to a muscular upper arm that leads to animal paws positioned directly beneath his face. During a period of the artist’s rapid rise to fame, this surreal exploration of his self-image has an ironic, playful edge, playing on the idea of the artist’s self portrait.
The merging of human with animal was a recurring theme throughout Haring’s work, often symbolising otherworldliness. This humorous self-portrait captures the dual identity of man and animal, repurposing his maker’s hands into animal claws, perhaps evoking the animalistic side of the artist, or a sub-human perception of himself. Set against a plain black backdrop, the portrait is framed in a bright red crayon-like border which adds a bold pop of colour to an otherwise monochrome design. The directness of his gaze and front-on appearance of his face gives a confrontative, challenging intensity to the self-portrait.
Roy Lichtenstein’s ‘Self-Portrait’ (1976), was made from acrylic, oil and graphite pencil on canvas. Signed and dated in the upper left. Depicted in his Pop art primary colours and Benday dots, the print nods to Pablo Picasso with its abstract facial features. The layering of multiple sections give a fragmented appearance, whilst the repetition of facial features seen in the four eyes evokes the shattered effect of shards of glass, placing the presence of the mirror as a central component of the self-portrait. The splitting of the facial features through the abstract rendering perhaps also suggests the multiple aspects of himself.
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