The artist Frida Kahlo once said, “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone because I am the person I know best.” A self-portrait documents how an artist makes sense of themselves. It is a record of how they choose to represent themselves to the world. To look at a self-portrait is to look into the mind of an artist, it offers us clues about their personality, emotions, history, and desires. As an artistic genre, it can be traced back to the ancient world and continues to prevail in the work of contemporary artists today. One of the earliest surviving examples of self-portraiture dates back to Ancient Egypt and a stone carving made by Pharaoh Akhenaten’s chief sculptor Bak and his wife Taheri, dated around 1365 BC. Artio explores some of the key elements that contribute to the enduring power of self-portraiture.

A self-portrait can document an artist’s place in history. The 18th Century Neoclassical painter Angelica Kauffman painted self-portraits throughout her career. Kauffman utilized allegory in her paintings to claim her position as a female artist in a traditionally male-dominated world. In 1753, when she was only twelve years old, she painted a Self-portrait as a Singer with Sheet Music. She is looking steadfastly at the viewer while holding sheet music, a symbol of her musical prowess and her identity as a woman in the arts. Kauffman was known for painting scenes from ancient history, re-casting the male protagonists as women. In her self-portrait from c. 1770–1775, she holds a ‘porte-crayon,’ an instrument for holding a crayon, and wears a neutral classical garment. Both symbolize her position within a lineage of artists and place focus on her identity as an artist above all else.

Self-portraiture can depict the psychology of an artist. Van Gogh created over 35 self-portraits before he died in 1890. The artist started to paint himself because he was too poor to be able to afford to hire models. This was the easiest way to practice painting. He described himself in one of his paintings as “quite unkempt and sad something like, say, the face of death.” In his pursuit of painting the reality of his situation, his self-portraits chart his illness and mental decline. Now famous works such as Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889 evidence the artist’s emotional turmoil. Van Gogh saw painting as a means to heal himself. The way in which he applied paint and utilized color gives expression to the psychology of the artist.

Self-portraiture can create a mythology around an artist. Andy Warhol produced a huge number of self-portraits from polaroids to silkscreen prints. In many ways, the artist predicted the ‘selfie’ with his vast number of photographic self-portraits that saw him trying on different identities by donning various wigs and make-up, while still wearing his signature deadpan expression. Warhol’s Self Portrait, 1968 is a monumental silkscreen that depicts the artist in his signature ‘fright wig,’ his mask-like face, floating in black space. Warhol was fascinated by fame and the power of the image. This vast self-portrait immortalizes Warhol as the king of Pop. The artist’s face is writ large, transformed into an icon that is now as famous as the celebrities he idolized.

Self-portraiture can be a powerful act of self-determinism. In ‘Sallyporttrait, Akersberga’ [Self-portrait, Akersberga] Evelyn Nicodemus painted a self-portrait comprised of multiple heads facing in different directions. She powerfully combines abstraction and figuration. Nicodemus is celebrated for her work which explores the human condition, most specifically in terms of racism, cultural trauma and the marginalization of women. For the artist, art is a compelling expression of healing. In her self-portrait, she represents the many aspects of herself. She created this painting after a decade of living in Sweden and the discrimination she faced as an African woman. After years of experiencing racism and being denied by others, she reclaims the power and freedom to define herself. This piece was the first Black female artist to be acquired by London’s National Portrait Gallery.

Self-portraiture is an endlessly fascinating genre of artistic creativity. Uniquely, it allows us to explore personal and universal human experiences simultaneously. It offers a glimpse into an artist’s mind; into how they see themselves and how they wish the world to see them.