Will you be gazing upon the facade of a clever actor or into the soul of an artist?
On the surface, self-portraits are one of the most convenient subjects that artists can undertake. After all, with a mirror and/or photograph, artists have infinite access to themselves as willing and inexpensive models.
But here’s the rub: how deeply are these artists willing to look within themselves? And how honestly are they willing to depict what they discover in their resulting paintings?
You will find that the answers to these questions often lies within the artist’s intent.
Let me explain as I present the following ten examples of outstanding self-portrait paintings found here at The Met in New York City.
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard
As one of only four women artists allowed admittance into the French Académie Royale during the late 18th century, Labille-Guiard had to be conscious about how she presented herself to the public.
Here Labille-Guiard has crafted a facade for French noblewomen to gaze upon. They could look upon the elegant dress and large straw hat that she is wearing (it is highly unlikely that Labille-Guiard ever wore an outfit like this while painting), and then imagine themselves in a portrait by the artist.
By including her pupils in this full-length self-portrait, Labille-Guiard was likely reminding the Royal Academy that there was more women artist available to join their exclusive institution.
Anthony van Dyck
Before sporting his famous beard style, Van Dyck was a clean-shaven lad presenting himself to the world as a stylish gentleman.
In this half-length self-portrait, Van Dyck makes no allusions to his profession as a painter. However, as the son of a wealthy Antwerp silk merchant, his elaborate outfit may be an allusion to his family’s business.
Apparently presenting this facade to the world worked, since Van Dyck became one of the preeminent portrait painters of his time (it also helped that his teacher, Peter Paul Rubens, openly praised his talent).
Anton Raphael Mengs
While Mengs was capable of flattering his prominent sitters in portraits, here we see an honest self-portrait of the Bohemian-born artist.
Mengs presents himself dressed in a humble painting smock. But more remarkable, he willingly shows us the discolored swelling that developed sometime after 1760 upon his forehead.
Revered for his talent, Meng’s self-portraits were popular with collectors of the time — no matter how the artist chose to present himself.
Edgar Degas
During the mid-1850s, Degas quit law school and focused on developing his artistic skills. To that end, he made copies of paintings by old masters at the Louvre and painted 18 self-portraits.
Here we gaze upon an introspective young Degas. The painting combines influences from both the neoclassicism of Ingres and the romanticism of Delacroix.
As Degas’ career blossomed, his interests led him to create genre scenes of dancers and life around Paris.
Henri Fantin-Latour
Fantin-Latour is best known for his still-lifes of flowers. In his later years, the artist claimed that the self-portraits he created as a young man were done solely out of convenience. He could always count on himself as a ready and inexpensive model.
In this self-portrait, Fantin-Latour is practicing the techniques of two artists that he admired: Rembrandt and Courbet. He paints in broad, thick brushstrokes that bring forth his image out of the enveloping darkness.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres
by Madame Gustave Héquet, ca. 1850–60
While this is a copy of Ingres’ original self-portrait begun in 1804, it was created under the artist’s supervision by one of the his female pupils.
We’re looking at a meticulously crafted facade of the French neoclassical artist at the age of 24. The poor reception that Ingres’ original self-portrait received at the 1806 Salon seemed to gnaw at the artist’s desire for perfection. Ingres, for the remainder of his life, continued to rework his self-portrait and had students copy it.
You can compare this copy with what is believed to be Ingres’ original, highly-reworked painting hanging at the Musée Condé in Chantilly, France.
Mary Cassatt
This is one of only two known self-portraits by Cassatt. It was painted a year after the artist was invited by Degas to exhibit with the Impressionists. It’s a casual, asymmetrical portrait that focuses on painting with contrasting complementary colors.
While Cassatt immediately became a passionate member of the Impressionist movement, genre scenes of mothers caring for their children would be the subject that caught her creative interest.
Note: This painting’s time on view in the museum is limited. It’s a watercolor (gouache) painting on paper, so prolonged exposure to light can reduce its longevity. Click on the link above to check its current status at The Met.
Peter Paul Rubens
As the leading Flemish Baroque artist of the 17th century with a large studio of students and assistants, Rubens had a reputation to promote and uphold. Upon this canvas, the artist presents a carefully orchestrated portrait of his family strolling through an idealized version of their garden at the Rubens’ mansion in Antwerp.
By the way, if you thought parents walking their toddlers on leashes was a modern invention, note the rope that Rubens’ second wife is holding. Back during the 17th and 18th centuries, ‘leading strings’ were used in Europe to prevent children learning to walk from wandering off or falling down.
Rembrandt
In the roughly 40 surviving self-portraits by Rembrandt, we witness a chronicling of the artist’s life and career.
Here Rembrandt presents himself at the age of 54 wearing the clothes of his trade as an artist. The celebrated Dutch master had endured the deaths of his wife and two of his four children. He recently was forced to declare bankruptcy.
I think we’re looking at a facade here, but it’s the honest facade of an artist trying to retain his pride while filled with personal griefs.
Vincent van Gogh
Van Gogh often painted multiple self-portraits during times when he was either feeling anti-social or couldn’t afford to hire a model. This one at The Met, completed 3-years before his death, is from a series of 20 self-portraits that the Dutch artist painted during a Parisian sojourn.
Intent on honing his skills as a figure painter, Van Gogh had bought the best mirror he could afford to study his reflection. However, it’s in the expressive pattern of his brushstrokes that we sense the artist’s personality.
Gallery
