SELF PORTRAITS

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. With this research, I’d like to explore the 3 different artists and their self-portraits in an attempt to understand the differences and similarities between them, taking into consideration their historical social and cultural context of the time.
Brett Whiteley born 1939, died 1992, was awarded 1st prize in the young painter at the Bathurst show at the age of 17 and after 3 years of study at Julian Ashtons, he won a Italian traveling scholarship and after some months in Italy reached London in 1960 at the height of a brief vogue for Australian art. His work gained instant recognition at the...