Portrait and Self Portrait Series

Your Project: Contrasts in the Self Portrait Grid

Create a series of six self portraits arranged in a grid pattern.
Each segment of the piece will showcase a different artistic technique
which demonstrates the concept of contrast.

There are two parts to understanding this project.
Your project will be to combine both of these ideas in one piece. Follow along in the discussion in class and then go to the PROCESS section to begin your own work.

self-portrait - A portrait an artist makes using himself or herself as its subject, typically drawn or painted from a reflection in a mirror.In our case we are using the digital camera to make the original portrait.

Contrast- (noun) - A principle of art, contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements such as:
light vs. dark colors
rough vs. smooth textures
large vs. small shapes
line work vs. solid shapes
in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

INTRODUCTION: Portrait/ Self Portrait
Self-portraits ( and portraits) have been a method of self-exploration since humans first gazed at their own reflection in a pool of water. With the invention of the mirror came an even stronger fascination to capture one's likeness. Artists have also been painting portraits of other people since painting began.

Look at the first image above the piece by Jan van Eyck. Jan van Eyck is thought to be present in a small detail from his most influential painting , Wedding Portrait. (1434)He "The Arnofini Wedding". He employed a quite unique use of the self-portrait. A young couple stands facing the viewer while exchanging their wedding vows. A mirror behind the couple, in the center of the painting, reveals Jan Van Eyck's presence in the room. His inscription above the mirror reads "Johannes de eyck fuit hic" or "Jan van Eyck was here."

Since the fifteenth century and the advent of the mirror artists have modeled for themselves in their own works of art. Whether it is an in-depth exploration of the artist’s own psyche or simply because as a model, the artist is clearly the cheapest and most available. Whatever the reason, nearly every artist, in every medium from painters to sculptors have attempted this exploration of self.

During the Renaissance period sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti is said to have chiseled a self portrait, as early as 1401, into the frame surrounding the set of bronze doors created for the Florence Baptistry.

Contrast: (noun) - A principle of art, contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.