Comparative analysis of selected self-portraits from the expressionist movement; Reasons for Creation

Abstract

The self-portrait has piqued the interest of artists through the ages and It is no surprise that the expressionists were among the many that found their muse in themselves. Expressionism as a movement emphasized the artist's feelings or ideas over replicating reality.2 Research has been done on various aspects of the self-portrait. Current studies have delved into specific artists’ portfolios or have done a thorough analysis of stand-alone paintings. This study takes a broader viewpoint across multiple artists, this research was able to uncover a wide scope of motivations and, more importantly, establish reoccurring themes. Here visual analysis of works by Vincent van Gogh, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Gabriële Münter are used together with a literature study to address the research question: "What are the reasons for the creation of a self-portrait by artists of the expressionist movement?” Results showed a recurring motivation of practice. As many artists before them, these artists used their own likeness as a subject to evolve their painting style without having to find and pay a model. In these paintings the focus is on the painter's style, their colors and brushstrokes. For other self-portraits the motivation behind them becomes much more personal. They are used as vessels to express emotional distress. Pushing the genre in a direction it had rarely gone before. Another reason for an artist to create a self-portrait could be to curate an image of themselves. Closely related to this is the finding that self-portraits are heavily linked to identity. The motivation behind a self-portrait could be for an artist to show themselves and the world, who they are. Of course, the role of an artist in society had long been a subject in self-portraits, but with this motivation the artists discussed in this paper are not merely following their predecessors they are surpassing them in terms of emotional honesty and bravery. The invention of photography forced the expressionist artist away from realism. Almost as a rule, these painters laid bare their souls through the medium of the self-portrait and pushed it to be the deeply enchanting, confusing, introspective and truthful genre it now is.