Section outline

  • 7.2: Self-Portraits

    Self-portraits indicate an artist's inward gaze as they present a view of themselves to the world. The representation of self may bear a close resemblance to sensory experience (such as a photograph based on similar optical principles as the eyes), or they may seem highly abstract (for example, when an artist uses patterns of DNA sequences to reflect a new kind of contemporary portrait of the self). Part of our role as those who experience art is to come to grips with the kinds of self-knowledge we can obtain from works of art.

    • Read this text for an overview of self-portraits.