[Kryzilya]

Anyone wanna read it and tell me if anything's wrong?

Prompt: Consider self-portraits by these four artists...why paint a self-portrait? What functions do they serve? How might it differ from a portrait of a patron/model? Discuss opportunities and challenges the artists faces when painting a self-portrait. Be specific in analysis of each painting.

Immortalized:
The Self-Portraits of Bruegel, Rembrandt, Poussin, and Velazquez

Courtney Staples
CSA 102: Perspectives in Art History
Professor Russell
Midterm Paper
Due 3/20/07

Throughout the millennia, artists have strived to immortalize their subjects in the forms of portraits, landscapes, studies, and still lives. Perhaps dearest to an artist, however, is his depiction of himself: a self-portrait, an autobiography not of words but of paint and graphite, of clay and stone. At their most basic level, self-portraits are meant to depict a likeness of the artist who creates it. Yet the term “likeness” applies to such a broad range of possibilities, not only physical but also mental, emotional, and social. An artist may choose to create an image of himself that is purely straightforward with no intended meanings behind it. The beauty of the idea of a self-portrait, however, rests in its infinite potential. With no patron to list preferences and guidelines, the artist is free to do as he pleases. Historian Theodore K. Rabb notes that, “People are not passive receptacles . . . Nor are they mere metaphors” (Rennaisance Lives ix). The same can be said of self-portraits, for they are as dynamic and multifaceted as the people they represent. As in Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s “The Painter and the Patron”, the artist can touch upon complications in the art world between creator and customer. Or in the style of Rembrandt van Rijn’s “Artist in His Studio”, the overwhelming and even frightening nature of the act of creating art can find representation. Nicolas Poussin’s “Self-Portrait” can act as an example to those who wish to embody their stylistic canon into a single image. In Diego Velazquez’s “Las Meninas”, the self-portrait appears on a grand scale, displaying the ability of an artist to fully represent his status and surroundings all at one time. These four works are classified as self-portraits, but the vast scope of possibilities in that single category ensures that each piece is entirely different from one another while still exemplifying the power and complexity of this form of work.

Bruegel, a Dutch painter best known for his colorful landscapes, completed his self-portrait, “The Painter and the Patron”, late in his life after decades of mastering his technique. Unlike his previous elaborate works, his image of himself appears as a simple ink drawing on paper, depicting two figures with no background or setting. Yet he has included enough information to form a complete story, one of a stern, perhaps disgruntled artist and the squinting patron behind him. The artist in the drawing serves as the self-portrait of Bruegel, and his somewhat displeased appearance in the work may be attributed to his age and experience. This piece was completed only a few years before his death, and as the Dutchman aged, “his commentary on the human condition took on an increasingly bitter edge” (Gardner 684).

Speculation of attitudes aside, Bruegel likely intended this piece as not only a depiction of himself, but also as a commentary on the trials and tribulations of dealing with a client. The patron, large-nosed and comedic in appearance, looks over the shoulder of the diligent artist, who is busy at work on the commissioned painting. The customer’s thick glasses and strained eyes indicate that he cannot fully see the work, both literally and figuratively; the off-paper painting is apt to appear blurred to him, but he may also not understand the significance of the work or the talent which goes into making it. His hand reaching into his money pouch can either show that he is all to eager to pay for this painting that he can hardly see, or that he hopes to spend as little on the final product as possible. In contrast, the artist looks stoic, or perhaps even bored. In one way, he could be so involved with his work that he pays no attention to the buffoon of a patron behind him. In another, he could have painted a similar scene so many times for other customers that such a subject is no longer of interest to him. Similarly, the passion he holds for his own original work may not exist in the pieces he produces for his clientele.

Passion indeed serves as part of the allure in creating an original work, and self-portraits are no exception. A commissioned piece generally expresses the ideas of the client, not of the artist. For an artist, even working from a model is different from working from himself; the model can be told to pose her body, but she cannot pose her inner thoughts for the artist to see. A mere millimeter’s difference in the angle of an eyelid or the flare of a nostril can change the depiction of an emotion dramatically. This is not to say that an artist cannot impose a feeling on a model when he renders her, but that feeling is not as pure as that within the artist, and thus a self-portrait allows the artist to truly capture his personal ideas.

The immense freedom of expression that comes with the creation of a self-portrait can be daunting, however, as shown in Rembrandt’s “Artist in His Studio”. Completed in 1630, this piece came just prior to his “move from his native Leiden to Amsterdam around 1631,” which “provided him with a more extensive clientele, contributing to a flourishing career” (Gardner 721). It is then clear that Rembrandt had not yet achieved mass fame when he painted this self-portrait, and as such was struggling with his chosen line of work. This painting illustrates that fact, for the walls of the studio are cracked and bare, and the artist wears a thick pile of rags to stay warm. Rembrandt, although not a child when he painted this, presents himself as a young figure. This sense of youth – and perhaps of naiveté – is only furthered by his body being bundled in layers upon layers of clothing, and his form being dwarfed by the overbearing canvas or panel in front of him. Because of Rembrandt’s strong use of lights and darks, the surface awaiting a coat of paint stands out as sizeable and intimidating, a monster that the artist must tame on his quest to become a master. His technique of handling light “involved refining light and shade into finer and finer nuances until they blended with one another,” which created an image “closer to reality because the eyes perceive light and dark not as static but as always subtly changing” (Gardner 723). He displays his perfection of “the deep-space illusion that seems to accord with visual reality” in his self-portrait as well, creating a strong sense of space despite the extremely small size of the wood panel on which he painted (Art Fundamentals 181). All of these aspects elevate Rembrandt’s piece to a superb representation not only of an artist confronting a blank canvas in general, but also to the freedom given by painting a self-portrait. This freedom, although liberating from dealing with patrons, can be overwhelming at times, for there are no points from which to begin other than within the artist’s own mind.

Many artists use that freedom to their advantage because it, however daunting it may be, allows them to present their personal ideals with flair and grandeur. Unlike the cartoon-esque work of Bruegel’s and the fearful piece by Rembrandt, Poussin’s “Self-Portrait” expresses an enormous amount of confidence and displays the artist’s canon through intricate symbols. The artist himself wears the robe of a scholar, which embodies knowledge and assurance. The ring he wears may appear simply as a lavish adornment, but it in fact relates to painting: the gold is the frame of a picture, and the blue pyramid acts as an image of perspective from the viewer’s eye. Poussin’s expression is one of deep thought, and the book he holds may be a journal, sketchbook, or perhaps the treatise on painting he planned to write. In notes for this thesis on art, he stated that, “Artists must first of all choose great subjects . . . Minute details should be avoided, as well as all ‘low’ subjects” (Gardner 732). Considering that Poussin painted himself, he clearly thought that he was one such great subject worthy of being immortalized on canvas.

His surroundings in this self-portrait hold just as much importance as he, and they also serve to draw attention to his figure. The first painting behind him initially appears to contain only text, which provides basic information, such as Poussin’s name, age, origin, and the date of the self-portrait. The most apparent feature of this stark canvas may go ignored because of its simplicity, however: Poussin’s shadow. The text may in fact label this shadow rather than the literal self-portrait. Furthermore, the artist’s shadow here could pay homage to the idea that the first painting was the traced outline of its creator’s shadow. Behind that canvas rests another, and although the majority of its content rests hidden, a cropped image of a crowned woman about to be embraced remains in sight. Her golden crown is adorned with an eye, which in a sense provides her with a total of three eyes. This emphasis on her eyes, furthered by her pure profile view, allows the woman to be an embodiment of the sense of vision. The hands that come in from the cropped edge of the canvas then symbolize touch, which, combined with vision, represents the act of painting. The woman may also be Lady Petra, or Lady Painting, and her off-canvas lover may be Poussin. This third appearance of the artist – the first being his obvious figure, and the second his shadow – comes across clearly in the thumb of the trimmed hand, for “thumb” in French is “pouce.” The third and final canvas in the very back of the self-portrait faces the wall, yet still serves the purpose of displaying the structure and construction of a painting.

Perhaps the most amazing facet of this work rests in a similar construction, although one of measurements rather than of wooden stretchers. Poussin’s figure corresponds perfectly to various objects in the background. All of the major lines in the piece intersect with his head, and his eyes appear level with the blue sky in the painting behind him. Again referencing proportion, his forehead is lined up with a frame, and his head equals the width of another frame behind him. Also of note is the repetition of threes within the work, of which there are at least three sets. Poussin’s full figure, his shadow, and his hand in the background painting create three images of the artist. The three primary colors are found in major instances within the self-portrait: blue in the sky of the background painting, yellow in Lady Petra, and red in what appears to be to be a chair. Finally, the three stages of a canvas are shown in basic construction (the canvas facing the wall in the very back), partially “painted” (the image with text and a shadow), and fully painted (the cropped work with Lady Petra). What this repetition of the number three signifies is unclear, for it could stand for any number of topics in art. However, each individual set of three could simply symbolize what it shows, whether that is the various ways of representing a subject, the three primary colors, or the stages of a painting. Whatever the case may be of these details, the self-portrait as a whole acts as the visual incarnation of the treatise on painting that Poussin planned to write but never did, in addition to displaying the artist’s own confidence in his depiction of himself.

I have to write about the final painting and throw in a conclusion.

For reference:

Bruegel


Rembrandt


Poussin (kinda washed out/too bright)


Velazquez (big image, so linking it)
http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/rprest...7,%20Prado.jpg

[nikolai]

CONGRATULATIONS


you are getting a worthless education.

NO i wont read your paper you damned dirty art major

[Kryzilya]

Originally Posted by nikolai

CONGRATULATIONS


you are getting a worthless education.

NO i wont read your paper you damned dirty art major

[Fox Hush]

*eyes glaze over*

[nikolai]

the problem with this essay is that you could say it all in a short paragraph.

[Wayward]

tl;dr

Opening paragraph looks nice.

[Kryzilya]

Originally Posted by nikolai

the problem with this essay is that you could say it all in a short paragraph.

You could fit an in-depth analysis of four paintings into one paragraph?

Originally Posted by Wayward

tl;dr

Opening paragraph looks nice.

Thanks.

I'm mostly concerned about grammar and spelling, since he said he'll hand back any "unacceptable" papers without grading them.

[ZaX]

haha rembrandt was short as hell.

[nikolai]

Originally Posted by Kryzilya

You could fit an in-depth analysis of four paintings into one paragraph?

I could fit all the relevant information from your essay into one paragraph, yes.

[Kryzilya]

Originally Posted by nikolai

I could fit all the relevant information from your essay into one paragraph, yes.

Not sure what you're rating as relevant, then. My teacher expects at least a page per painting.

[nikolai]

its more a criticism of academia than you. you're just doing what is required of you, its college

[Kryzilya]

Originally Posted by nikolai

its more a criticism of academia than you. you're just doing what is required of you, its college

Gotcha.

[Famed]

We just had our Art History final. Worst class ever because our teacher sucked hard.

[Famed]

whoa. What happened to my handle?

[Kryzilya]

Originally Posted by Fire

We just had our Art History final. Worst class ever because our teacher sucked hard.

Lame. Mine's awesome...he does a great job teaching medieval-to-present stuff even though his concentration is ancient Asyrian art. The one I had last semester was interesting and funny (and really easy), but I didn't really learn much. Luckily I don't have to take a final exam in this class...just another essay like this one. But the papers are extremely important, since they're basically the only thing going into our grade, and there are only 3 total.

[Keiyla]

PM'd. =) I like it.