Famous Self-Portraits Of Artists
Humans are producing art from ages ago and depicted many aspect of life through painting. Here are some of the most famous self-portraits of Artists.
The concept of self-portrait came into being when a German painter Albrecht Dürer started painting his own portraits. After that many artists choose to paint self-portraits and give a rise to this genre. Many famous painters choose self-painting as the central theme of their work. Here are some of the most popular self portraits.
Self-Portrait at 28
Artist: Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was the first one who experimented self-portraits and started painting his face and his torso. He painted so many self-portraits in his career and but this specific painting is the most famous self-portrait out of all. This painting and its own significance as it is unmistakable portrait that had perfect resemblance with the representation of Jesus Christ. The colors and the light proportions are sharp and classic. Albrecht Dürer painted his face having real emotions.
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
Artist: Frida Khalo
Frida khalo was a Mexican painter and she is well known for her series of self-portraits. Her self-portraits carries a lot of emotion and a story related to her real life. This painting is one of the most famous self-portraits of Frida khalo. She often painted her favorite animals in her paintings such as cats, chimpanzees and birds. Her paintings are often considered as Surrealist because of the strange and dream realism. Frida tried to convey major incidents of her life through her painting. This painting is assumed to be portraying the psychological and physical wounds.
Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned-Up Collar
Artist: Rembrandt
Rembrandt is a very famous Dutch Painter who inspired so many artists with his work. He also painted many portraits of him at many ages but this painting is the most famous among them. Rembrandt never show any mercy on himself and portrayed himself very sincerely. In this self-portrait he painted himself at 53 years old and his every feature is on point. Rembrandt painted total 40 self-portraits and each one them portrayed him at different age and with different emotion.
Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh doesn’t need any introduction since he is one of the most famous painters in the world. He painted over 30 to 35 self-portraits. This painting is the most famous of them all because it has its own story. It is clearly visible in the painting that Van Gogh’s ear is bandaged. The reason behind was that Van Gogh once cut off a part of his own left ear after losing his temper in a fight with fellow painter Paul Gauguin.In this painting, it looks like it’s his right ear but in actual it was his left ear that was bandaged, it is because Van Gogh used mirror to paint the portrait.
Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting
Artist: Artemisia Gentileschi
Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the first females to enter in the Florentine Academy of Design. This self-portrait of her is very famous because she portrayed how she sees herself. Her blacks hair, her shimmering green dress, her focused eyes, her golden chain, pallet and brushes completes her painting. That’s the most perfect resemblance of her doing her painting. Many believe that she used mirror to paint herself.
Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
This is the only self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci that exists. It one of the very famous self-portraits for its uniqueness and it is the self-depiction of Leonardo. If you look closely, you can see the face and beard clearly and his eyes looking at the viewer. Leonardo use chalk to experiment the richness of hair . He drew this self-portrait at the age of 60.
The Desperate Man (Self-Portrait)
Artist: Gustave Courbet
Gustave Courbet painted his self-portrait in his 20s and it one of the most famous self-portraits of him because you can not only find the desperation in the yes of painting but you will also be able to see the glimpse of Courbet’ s ambitious, wily and bold personality. He painted this when he moved to Paris to earn his law degree and this painting is assumed to represent how eager he was to learn something and how passionate he was with his plans.
Self-Portrait with a Sunflower
Artist: Anthony van Dyck
Anthony Van Dyck was considered the master of self-portraits and this is one of his most famous paintings. The significance of the gold chain in the painting is discussed so many times. The chain was probably given to the painter when he was knighted. Some art critiques interpret this self-portrait as the representation of Advancement in the social hierarchy and a symbol of being the nobleman who is recognized by the king. He is holding the chain with one hand and pointing towards the sun flowers with other. The meaning behind it can be the resemblance of both, the dependence of painter on the king and the movements of sunflowers depending on the sun.
Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror
Artist: Parmigianino
This is one of the most notable works of Parmigianino. It is believed that he watched himself in convex mirror and painted himself as it is. You can witness the young painter standing in front of convex mirror and his hand in painting that is painted in elongated way. The portrait is painted on specially designed convex panel to mimic the actual curve of the convex mirror.
Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat
Artist: Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun
Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun was the most famous female painter in 18th century. She painted famous portraits of the royals especially the queen of France Marie Antoinette. She depicted women in a fashionable and modern way in her paintings. This painting is very famous from the perspective of fashion and style too.The straw hat which is completing her look along with brushes and dress. This is a perfect depiction of a woman full of life and joy.
