Items15The creator’s order
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Self-Portrait with Fur-Trimmed RobeAlbrecht Dürer, 1500. Start with the straight-on pose and the carefully placed hand against the fur. The format recalls images of Christ, while the work’s Latin inscription gives the painter’s own name and age. Dürer claims a solemn format for an individual artist.0 - 2
Self-portrait by Judith LeysterJudith Leyster, about 1630. The painter looks over her shoulder as if you’ve caught her halfway through her work. Her brush and palette, the lace at her neck, and the laughing violinist taking shape on the easel each give a different way into the artist’s professional image.0 - 3
Bester I, MayotteZanele Muholi, 2015. Clothespins form a headpiece around the photographer’s direct gaze. Bester was Muholi’s mother, who worked as a domestic worker. By placing ordinary laundry objects where you might expect fine adornment, the self-portrait carries a tribute through something you can see.0 - 4
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and HummingbirdFrida Kahlo, 1940. Beneath Kahlo’s steady gaze, the thorn necklace draws blood and the hummingbird hangs at its center. The black cat and monkey frame the shoulders. Begin with the precise objects and their placement before trying to pin the picture to a single meaning.0 - 5
Self-Portrait (Sofonisba Anguissola, 1554)Sofonisba Anguissola, 1554. The small book contains an inscription saying she painted herself. Between her plain dark clothing and the way she holds the book out toward us, the composition makes that claim of authorship one of the first things the viewer has a chance to read.0 - 6
Self-Portrait as the Allegory of PaintingArtemisia Gentileschi, about 1638–39. Follow the lifted arm from the curve of the shoulder to the tip of the brush at the edge. The other hand holds the palette. By making herself the allegorical figure of Painting, Gentileschi builds the likeness around the physical work she did.0 - 7
Self-Portrait (Rembrandt, 1658)Rembrandt van Rijn, 1658. Notice how the costume, seated pose, and silver-topped stick give the artist the presence of a ruler. His face holds the wrinkles and irregularities of an aging sitter. The two parts of the image work together to make authority look earned and specific.0 - 8
Self-Portrait with Two PupilsAdélaïde Labille-Guiard, 1785. The satin gown commands attention before you notice the brush, palette, and two students. Marie Gabrielle Capet and Marie Marguerite Carraux de Rosemond give the portrait a second subject. Their presence lets Labille-Guiard present herself as a teacher as well as a…0 - 9
Self-Portrait with Dr ArrietaFrancisco de Goya, 1820. Arrieta supports the painter with one arm and offers him a glass with the other. Look how the doctor’s hands do most of the acting in a picture usually thought of as Goya’s likeness. The painting was a thank-you to the doctor who cared for him.0 - 10
The Desperate ManGustave Courbet, around 1844–45. The close crop presses two wide eyes and the hands pulling at his hair right up against the picture plane. The Musée d’Orsay places it in a tradition of studies of expression. Seen that way, the artist’s own face becomes material for testing how far a look can go.0
