“Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection” at Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
10 Masters of the Self-Portrait, from Frida Kahlo to Cindy Sherman
Before the Renaissance, artists were quite shy when it came to selfies. A painter might have rendered a small likeness of himself into the background of a busy group scene, but rarely more than that. It wasn’t until the 15th century, when the German painter Albrecht Dürer began creating detailed images of his face and torso, that self-portraiture became its own genre.
Since then, artists from Rembrandt to Frida Kahlo have made self-portraiture a central theme of their work. “The artists themselves dictate the terms on which we are invited to judge them,” writes artist Liz Rideal about the genre in the newly updated edition of the Phaidon tome 500 Self-Portraits. “These are visual autobiographical statements that reflect their times.” Here, we trace the practices of 10 great masters of the self-portrait.
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Self-portrait, 1500
Alte Pinakothek, Munich
Albrecht Dürer
Self-Portrait, 1493
Museo Nacional del Prado
The German Renaissance master was only 13 years old when he drew his first self-portrait. As a 22-year-old, after completing his formal artistic training, he painted himself as a young man on the brink of a revolutionary career in Portrait of the Artist Holding a Thistle (1493). Dürer went on to paint and engrave several more self-portraits through his twenties, nearly all of which show the budding master at a three-quarter angle. With each of these works, the artist seemed to grow more self-assured.
At age 28, Dürer painted his most confident—and his most famous—self-portrait. Posing frontally before a black background, the artist is shown with curled locks that flow over a fur-trimmed coat, which he pulls closed with a particularly meaningful hand gesture: that of Christ’s blessing. Drawing a parallel between the artist and the holy savior, Dürer’s self-portrait is equal parts striking and complex—and it continues to captivate viewers today.
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo
Autorretrato con chango y loro, 1942
MALBA
Frida Kahlo
Autorretrato con traje de terciopelo, 1926
Galeria Enrique Guerrero
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The Mexican artist made dozens of self-portraits from her teenage years onwards, images that have cemented the painter’s face—with her prominent black unibrow, slight mustache, and rosy cheeks and lips—into the cultural consciousness. She often painted herself among the tropical plants and animals of her native country, a nod to her proud Chicana heritage, as in Self-Portrait with Bonito (1941); other times, she is portrayed within simplistic interiors, like Itzcuintli Dog with Me (1938).
Kahlo also used self-portraiture to communicate her suffering. She endured a lifetime of chronic pain as a result of falling victim to a near-fatal bus accident at age 18. Surrealistic works like The Broken Column (1944) convey her anguish: Metal nails puncture the crying artist’s skin, while a column crumbles within her body—a reference to the iron handrail that impaled her nearly 20 years earlier.
In the years since her death in 1954, the rise of “Fridamania” has turned Kahlo’s image into a commercial force; she has appeared on everything from stamps and tote bags to nail polish and household slippers. We’ll never know if Kahlo would have embraced her global celebrity status, but we do know that she wanted to be seen. She left behind over 50 works in which she presented herself exactly as she wanted others to see her: a bold, self-styled, and afflicted artist who championed Mexico’s indigenous cultures.
Mastering Portrait Painting Techniques in Just 24 Hours
TLDR The video discusses an artist’s journey to improve their painting skills through studying techniques, using reference images, and breaking down the basics, ultimately leading to successful stylized artwork using AI.
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Key insights
The goal of painting portraits is to define form, not just use fun colors and glossy highlights.
Experimenting with different brushes and techniques is necessary when painting portraits, especially when trying to capture realistic features like hair and facial structure.
Learning to paint portraits involves analyzing cool and warm tones, shadows, and color choices to avoid a muddy look.
The importance of breaking down the three steps to a painting: value, black and white, color, and stylization.
The artist realized how much they had improved by revisiting an old painting and applying their new skills.
Using reference images and studying other artists’ techniques can greatly improve one’s own painting skills.
Focusing on values and tones before details can help create a more realistic portrait while still allowing for stylization.
Learning new techniques and styles can be scary, but it’s worth it to try and overcome the fear of failure.
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Timestamped Summary
00:00
Artist seeks to improve rendering skills in shading noses and painting eyes to enhance artwork and connect with audience.
03:06
Speaker struggles with painting, finds cute reference, rushes piece, and ultimately gives up.
04:47
Wondershare Filmora is a beginner-friendly video editing program with AI tools and is hosting a live stream event featuring creator workshops, including Landon by the Way’s on April 21st at 7 pm.
06:29
Studied Edo Dono’s art to improve use of color, shading, and lighting in stylized character design.
08:21
Going back to basics and breaking down the three steps of a painting helped the speaker improve their artwork.
09:54
The artist improved their painting skills through studying techniques and using reference images, successfully stylizing a painting using AI.
12:51
Focus on getting the tones and values right before adding details and stylizing for a realistic front-facing face.
14:54
The artist improved in certain areas but plans to simplify their portrait style with studio lighting; The Challenge paintings are not as exciting due to repetitive fortresses; The speaker is taking a break to learn new techniques for future artwork.
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Table of contents
Hello guys, I am parshwika, your course instructor, I started my own art career in 2018 and I am a completely self-taught artist.
This course contains basic about how to draw a face (everything you need to know about drawing a face) along with 2 portraits/face drawing in complete depth completely narrated by me taking you to step by step on how to draw a realistic face, ITS AN ULTIMATE DRAWING COURSE ON HOW TO DRAW A REALISTIC FACE COVERING EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW TO DRAW A FEMALE FACE.
This is course is an easy step by step process targetted for anyone to draw and shade without any experience or knowledge/ no art degree.
Most simplified version to draw and shade a female face.
I am on a mission to help to struggle and aspiring artists in their art career. From 2018 till 2020 I had learned a lot, I started from complete scratch and till now I have gained some experience in making a portrait. Since I struggled a lot as I am not from art school don’t have any art degree and so I really wasn’t knowing how to draw, it was a challenge for me but then I took this challenge and in 2 years I learned by practicing daily and making new artworks. One thing I want to say that you don’t need any art degree or any kind of experience to become an artist, cause at that time when I was starting with art people were telling me you don’t have any experience and any art degree so you cant draw and sketch. I prove them wrong by practicing daily and making new artworks and I am combining my tips and techniques that I personally used in this art course, this course will going to cover how to draw and sketch and shade a female face step by step taking you to every aspect of an artwork, I hope it will help you. Please give your feedback and reviews as it will help me to improve more.
Regards
parshwika
You will learn
✓ How to draw face
✓ How to draw realistic face
✓ How to draw portrait
✓ How to draw a girl face/female face
✓ how to draw a realistic portrait
✓ how to sketch a face
✓ face drawing
✓ how to shade and sketch
✓ How to draw & shade a realistic female face/portrait
✓ How To Draw Portraits – How to make your portraits easy way
✓ Master the fundamentals such as: how to see like an artist, construct solid forms, features, anatomy and more
✓ Face Drawing Step by Step – Create your own portrait masterpiece
✓ Master the skills to draw a realistic portrait without any experience/ without any degree
✓ Master the foundation of realistic drawing
