The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History – review
There is never a dull passage in James Hall's revelatory study of the way in which artists – whether out of salvation, self-scrutiny or vanity – have captured themselves down the years
It appears that, up until 1490, the production of self-portraits remained modest and spasmodic. During the Renaissance, the genre benefitted from the "heroisation" of the artist, though in time this led on to its polar opposite, the mock-heroic self-portrait. The obvious example of this is the scrunched-up likeness of his own features which Michelangelo gave to the flayed skin, held up by St Bartholomew in the Last Judgmenton the end wall of the Sistine Chapel, an identification which many accept, although it was not put forward until 1925. Hall, a specialist on Michelangelo, connects this flayed self‑portrait to Michelangelo's interest in the shedding of skins, be it his own, or the outer "skin" of a marble block which the sculptor removes, in order to reveal the life within. The flaying or shedding of a skin or two becomes an act of cleansing and therefore an "imitation" of Christ's Passion.There are many instances where Hall's arguments take us down unexpected routes. He also moves his survey on through his identification of historical shifts. At one moment he discusses the importance of self-portraitists found in their studios; then, in the 18th century, he observes them buffeted by contrary passions, while in the 19th century they are shown seeking a return home, to more rooted forms of expression. The pursuit of the elusive self, it seems, never ends.
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