The Self-Portrait A Cultural History (Paperback) - A Cultural History

In this broad cultural survey, James Hall brilliantly maps the history of self-portraiture, from the earliest myths of Narcissus and the Christian tradition of ''bearing witness'' to the prolific self-image-making of today''s contemporary artists. Along the way he reveals the importance of the medieval ''mirror craze''; the confessional self-portraits of Titian and Michelangelo; the role of biography for serial self-portraitists such as Courbet and van Gogh; themes of sex and genius in works by Munch and Bonnard; and the latest developments in our globalized age. Hall covers the full range of self-portraits, from comic and caricature self-portraits to ''invented'' or imaginary ones, and looks deeply into the worlds and mindsets of the artists who have created them. Offering a rich and lively history, this is an essential read for all those interested in this most enduringly popular and humane of art forms.

Product details

• Authors: James Hall, Hall James, JAMES HALL
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 24.08.2015
• EAN: 9780500292112
• ISBN: 978-0-500-29211-2
• No. of pages: 288
• Weight: 710 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; ART / Subjects & Themes / Portraits, ART / History / General, History of art / art & design styles, History of Art, Portraits in art, Portraits and self-portraiture in art, Painting;Portraiture;Figurative Art;Self-portrait