SELF PORTRAIT (ART ESSENTIALS) (PB)

Self-portraits have the power to illuminate universal concerns from identity, purpose and authenticity to frailty, futility and mortality. Curator Natalie Rudd casts her expertise on the self-portrait and its international appeal, exploring the historical contexts within which self-portraits have proliferated and considering the meanings they hold today. With commentaries on works by artists including Jan van Eyck, Artemisia Gentileschi, Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Jenny Saville, the book explores the potential of self-portraiture, and its capacities to distance or to demystify.