By Costanza Cerasi
Throughout the centuries the concept of self-representation in art has evolved and developed into the admiration of one’s beauty. Immortal artists such as Van Gogh, M.C Escher, Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol have used and given shape to this technique referred to as “selfie” that now in our modern times is one of the most popular phenomena of self-representation and promotion.
Starting with Van Gogh in 1889, who created more than 140 self-portraits in 13 months when he voluntarily committed himself to the mental asylum Saint-Paul-de-Mausole at Saint-Remy in the south of France. He based his art on self-imposed confinements representing himself only. Already at the time self-portraits were used in order to portray the beauty of the artist, as Van Gogh stated to Willemien Van Gogh in 1888: “The uglier, older, meaner, iller, poorer I get, the more I wish to take my revenge by doing brilliant color, well arranged, resplendent." This expresses the desire of promoting beauty through a representation that we chose to give of ourselves that cannot be interpreted differently than how we chose to communicate it.
Throughout the centuries the concept of self-representation in art has evolved and developed into the admiration of one’s beauty. Immortal artists such as Van Gogh, M.C Escher, Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol have used and given shape to this technique referred to as “selfie” that now in our modern times is one of the most popular phenomena of self-representation and promotion.
Starting with Van Gogh in 1889, who created more than 140 self-portraits in 13 months when he voluntarily committed himself to the mental asylum Saint-Paul-de-Mausole at Saint-Remy in the south of France. He based his art on self-imposed confinements representing himself only. Already at the time self-portraits were used in order to portray the beauty of the artist, as Van Gogh stated to Willemien Van Gogh in 1888: “The uglier, older, meaner, iller, poorer I get, the more I wish to take my revenge by doing brilliant color, well arranged, resplendent." This expresses the desire of promoting beauty through a representation that we chose to give of ourselves that cannot be interpreted differently than how we chose to communicate it.
This concept of self-representation is even more evident in E.C Escher’s “Hand with Reflecting Sphere” in 1935, in which the reflection of the artist in the sphere creates the exact effect selfies with cameras create now-a-days. The evident self-representation is highlighted by the artist’s hand holding the sphere reflecting his own image. This, not only emphasizes the idea of distortion and beauty, but also the complete control the artist has on the portrayal of his image. This can be grasped in today’s selfies, as for example the 2014 Oscar’s edition, that became one of the most popular images in the world in only 24 hours. As in Escher’s work of art, in the Oscar’s selfie, Bradley Cooper’s arm is clearly holding the camera giving almost the same distortion effect present in Escher’s “Hand with Reflecting Sphere” work.
Successful in portraying her beauty through self-representation was the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who gave emphasis to her Mexican characteristics giving them more relevance in her paintings. She stated: "I do not know if my paintings are Surrealist or not, but I do know that they are the most frank expression of myself." Frida Kahlo’s desire was to portray herself as she perceived herself; giving less or more relevance to characteristics she gave importance to.
After Frida Kahlo, another artist that deepened the relevance of self-portraits in art is Andy Warhol, who gave life to a new phenomenon of iconic self-portraits. As Warhol said in The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: “When I did my self-portrait, I left all the pimples out because you always should. Pimples are a temporary condition and they don't have anything to do with what you really look like. Always omit the blemishes—they're not part of the good picture you want.”
This statement proves how Warhol’s idea was to impress the viewer with the picture you want, therefore it is not reality that needs to be conveyed, but the artist’s desired idea of reality. This concept is shared with the now-a-day selfies that try to communicate and promote reality, as the person taking them wants reality to be. Andy Warhol may be considered the true founder of selfies as he once said: “Art is what you can get away with”. This message was also conveyed, phrased differently, by one of the BU students interviewed. Elisa Saporito, an Italian teenager from Milan, answered in a very similar way to the question ‘can selfies be considered an art?’ To that, Elisa answered, “Selfies are a way of showing what you want others to see, and getting away with what you want to omit of yourself. So yes, in my opinion, this is art.”
“By taking a selfie one is promoting his or her beauty and communicating the image they want the person watching the picture to see”, said Marherita Rau, summer student in Boston University, currently living in New York.
These interviews confirmed the message artists had developed throughout the centuries. The modern day worldwide spread ‘selfie art’ is a method of self-promotion and exaltation of beauty. Through a normal image we communicate reality, which is what can be seen objectively, while with a selfie, we portray our desired truth that tells much more about us than objectiveness.