“THE STORY OF WOMEN’S SELF PORTRAIT
THROUGH THE CENTURIES AND STYLES”
by Daria Dega
This exhibition project is devoted to the problem of female self-portraits in art. I will consider the evolution of a female self-portrait of the 16th – 21st centuries, showing how, over time, a change in women’s self-consciousness was reflected in the self-portrait.
I noticed that there are practically no works and self-portraits of magnificent female artists from the Renaissance to the 21st century in museums. Only some people know the names of these artists who significantly influenced the development of art. My research aims to explore and publicize the role of female artists in developing art and portraiture, particularly from the Renaissance to the present time.
My research process provides a description of how the role of the female artist, especially in portraiture. I will consider styles different eras to give a picture of the differences in the female self-portrait.
Based on these studies, I want to show how a modern European woman living in the 21st century in the United States state of Texas sees herself in different eras, presenting these feelings in self-portraits. Also, I will show how you can depict the same character using different techniques.
The primary purpose of this experiment is to show the evolution of the female self-portrait, presenting the classic Renaissance technique portrait with avant-garde and modern art elements.
Based on historical research and experimental self-portraits, one concludes that time is changing, so as the painting techniques and materials, but the female role in the development of art remains large and significant. Moreover, no matter how art changes, the teachings of the masters of the 16th-18th centuries remain relevant.
RENAISSANCE
Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurred in philosophy, literature, music, science, and technology. Renaissance art took as its foundation the art of Classical antiquity, perceived as the noblest of ancient traditions, but transformed that tradition by absorbing recent developments in the art of Northern Europe and by applying contemporary scientific knowledge. Along with Renaissance humanist philosophy, it spread throughout Europe, affecting both artists and their patrons with the development of new techniques and new artistic sensibilities. For art historians, Renaissance art marks the transition of Europe from the medieval period to the Early Modern age.
The Renaissance movement brought realism back to art and presents people in their true form. These works are not extravagant- the people are the center of attention, and the backgrounds are plain. The subjects are posing for the artist and are represented realistically. The Renaissance period saw the first oil paintings, and this became the standard for artists everywhere, whereas tempera paint had been the standard before. Renaissance artwork is prim and proper, and often depicts people of high social status, but also became the first time in history that anyone could have a painting of themselves done, so long as they had the money to pay for it. As you go through this gallery, you will understand the components of the Renaissance era and see common themes among the works.
The first independent self-portraits appeared in the 16th century. At that time, women, for the first time, openly declare themselves and their abilities. Researchers attribute this to the spread in the Renaissance of the ideas of humanism – a philosophical trend that affirms the value of a person as a person, his/her right to freedom, happiness, development, and the manifestation of his/her abilities.
During this time, women present themselves not only as artists but also as musicians and scientists. Almost all self-portraits of these years demonstrate the image of an ideal Renaissance woman: beautiful, modest, educated, impeccably moral, and virtuous (Catherine van Hemessen, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Marietta Robusti Tintoretto, etc.)
Techniques
THE VERDACCIO
Verdaccio is an underpainting technique that originated with the early Renaissance Italian muralists. This formula is applied by mixing black, white, and yellow ocher. This mixture will give a greenish-gray color, which is very effective for the darker shades of human skin. The Verdaccio technique was used by the artists as a value study that creates a foundation for the richer colors and details added later.
Throughout history, producing realistic skin tones has proven to be one of the greatest challenges for portrait artists. Remnants left on murals and oil paintings on wood in 13th-century Italy prove that since the Middle Ages, painters have been constantly searching for a recipe to mix human skin color. They already knew that if green was used as a background, the flesh tones drawn on it would “pop out” in a more convincing and authentic way.
Green is a complementary color to red and placing these two together or on top of each other in a picture can create a very effective effect. Green can also diminish some shades of orange or pink tones. From this initial awareness, Verdaccio’s technique of foundation painting was formed.
FORESHORTENING
Foreshortening – The term foreshortening refers to the artistic effect of shortening lines in a drawing so as to create an illusion of depth.
SFUMATO
Sfumato – The term sfumato was coined by Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci and refers to a fine art painting technique of blurring or softening of sharp outlines by subtle and gradual blending of one tone into another through the use of thin glazes to give the illusion of depth or three-dimensionality. This stems from the Italian word sfumare meaning to evaporate or to fade out. The Latin origin is fumare, to smoke.
CHIAROSCURO
Chiaroscuro – The term chiaroscuro refers to the fine art painting modeling effect of using a strong contrast between light and dark to give the illusion of depth or three-dimensionality. This comes from the Italian words meaning light (chiaro) and dark (scuro), a technique which came into wide use in the Baroque period.
“Immersion in the Renaissance”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Linen, 40”x30”
For the first self-portrait, I used a Renaissance costume, hairstyle, jewelry, and make-up close to the typical 15-16th century. The position and turn of the head in profile were determined by the main canons of the time. The first self-portrait reflects an immersion in the Renaissance.
The self-portrait is painted on natural linen 30”x40” size. The work is done with natural pigments mixed with lavender and poppyseed oil. The drawing is applied to the canvas with a piece of natural charcoal. The first 3 layers of underpainting are made using the Verdaccio oil painting technique. The next three layers of glazing are applied with transparent oil paint.
BAROQUE
Baroque art, the visual arts produced during the era in the history of Western art that roughly coincides with the 17th century. The earliest manifestations, which occurred in Italy, date from the latter decades of the 16th century, while in some regions, notably Germany and colonial South America, certain culminating achievements of Baroque did not occur until the 18th century. The work that distinguishes the Baroque period is stylistically complex, even contradictory. In general, however, the desire to evoke emotional states by appealing to the senses, often in dramatic ways, underlies its manifestations. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension, emotional exuberance, and a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts.
The arts present an unusual diversity in the Baroque period, chiefly because currents of naturalism and classicism coexisted and intermingled with the typical Baroque style. Indeed, Annibale Carracci and Caravaggio, the two Italian painters who decisively broke with Mannerism in the 1590s and thus helped usher in the Baroque style, painted, respectively, in classicist and realist modes. Among his many innovations, Caravaggio is noted for popularizing tenebrism, the use of extreme contrast of light and dark. His most famous pupil, Artemisia Gentileschi, employed this technique to great effect in her history paintings, an unusual theme among contemporary women artists.
Generally, the main features of Baroque painting manifestations are drama, deep colors, dramatic light, sharp shadows, and dark backgrounds. While Renaissance art aimed to highlight calmness and rationality, Baroque artists emphasized stark contrasts, passion, and tension, often choosing to depict the moment preceding an event instead of its occurrence.
The most prominent Baroque painters originated from the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Generally, they were concerned with the human subjects or subjects and depicted similar scenes. The Renaissance spheres of power still dominated the art directions of their cultures, and, accordingly, most of the commissions were portraits of royals, religious scenes, depictions of royal life and society.
In the 17th century, due to the expansion of the range of genres available to women artists (portraits, still life, genre scenes, paintings on biblical, mythological, and allegorical subjects), female artists began to occupy a prominent place in art along with men, which is significantly reflected in the self-portrait. Images of pale, fragile, well-bred ladies fade into the background. The image of a strong, self-sufficient, self-confident woman comes into fashion. With a brush and a palette in their hands, they are shown at the moment of intense, concentrated work.
Everything in their appearance speaks of the knowledge of their craft and skill (Clara Peters, Artemisia Gentileschi, and others).
Techniques
TENEBRISM
Tenebrism was another technique used by several Baroque painters, popularized, and believed to have been started by Caravaggio. Although it is like chiaroscuro, it mainly focuses on the darker areas of a painting. The term originates from the Italian word, tenebroso, which in turn originates from the Latin, tenebra, meaning “darkness”. Other words related to this term are “gloomy” and “mysterious”. It sought to create what is referred to as the “spotlight” effect, also called “dramatic illumination”.
CHIAROSCURO
Chiaroscuro is an Italian term that means “light-dark”. It focuses on defining contrasts in painting. This technique started in the Renaissance period, but it was the way Caravaggio utilized it that it became a popular characteristic of the Baroque period. With the strong emphasis on dark and light within his compositions, the viewer almost becomes a part of the event portrayed in the painting.
ILLUSIONISM
Illusionism or Trompe l’Oeil and Quadratura – the idea of “opening up” spaces within paintings was a large part of Baroque Art, as this also gave the sense of it being an optical illusion with the painted image appearing three-dimensional. Creating this three-dimensionality was known as trompe l’oeil, which means “deceive the eye” in French.
“Immersion in the Baroque”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Linen, 30”x40”
For The Baroque style, I used contrast, exuberant detail, deep color, grandeur, and surprise to create awe.
Interior details correspond to the design of the room in the Hermitage. It is no coincidence that the portrait of the daughter is depicted in the picture. At this time, it was trendy to paint portraits of a mother with children. Also, the image of daughter Amelia is unique in that was painted from the photo image made on the last day of Amelia in Russia before emigrating to the USA, in an old castle and a 17th-century costume. I tried to display the mystery of the portrait in the portrait. You can see that I have no brushes in my hands, but the palette is still full of colors and the portrait of my daughter is already finished and in a frame. By this, I wanted to show that one stage has already been completed, but the colors on the palette are still full for the beginning of the next path and the next portrait.
The portrait is made in oil on linen canvas using the technique of this period – underpainting with grisaille technique and glazing with transparent oil paint.
ROCCOCCO
Rococo is a specific style of art that was popular in France in the 18th century. It is commonly known for its whimsical and elaborate designs. Rococo has a lot of characteristics that make it what it is and so it is important to understand many details about the style’s creation, techniques, and artists.
The Rococo period of art and design, which emerged in France during the early 18th century, is characterized by its ornate decoration, playful themes, and emphasis on the natural world. The term “Rococo” comes from the French word “rocaille,” which means “rock and shell,” and reflects the style’s love of natural forms and flowing lines.
Rococo art and design is known for its playful and whimsical themes, as well as its emphasis on the natural world. The style is characterized by its use of curvilinear forms, soft pastel colors, and intricate ornamentation. Rococo artists often used asymmetry and a sense of movement to create a sense of dynamic energy in their works.
In the 18th century, in connection with the advent of the Rococo era, the heavy solemnity of self-portraits of the 17th century gave way to lightness, playfulness, feminine sophistication, and theatrical sophistication.
If, in the Baroque era, all women look significant and mature, then in the Rococo era, the fragile, slender coquette becomes the ideal. It should also be noted that at this time, women begin to take an active part in the life of society: they visit public places and organize their own salons. In addition, for the first time in the 18th century, women were allowed to enter art academies, where they were previously not allowed.
Proudly declaring their increased status, the artists depict themselves as secular beauties, beautiful, refined ladies in their workshop, surrounded by students and models (Adelaide Labille-Guyard, Marie Gabriel Capet, Anna Vallaye-Coster, etc.)
Techniques
ELABORATE ORNAMENTATION
Elaborate Ornamentation – Rococo art is known for its intricate and elaborate ornamentation, which often includes motifs inspired by nature, such as flowers, leaves, and shells. These decorative elements are often used to create a sense of movement and dynamism in the artwork.
CURVILINEAR FORMS
Curvilinear Forms – Rococo art is characterized by its use of flowing, curvilinear forms, which are used to create a sense
of grace and elegance in the artwork. These forms are often asymmetrical and can be seen in the shapes of the furniture,
architecture, and decorative objects of the period.
SOFT, PASTEL COLORS
Soft, Pastel Colors – Rococo art is known for its soft, pastel colors, which are used to create a sense of lightness and whimsy in the artwork. These colors are often inspired by the natural world, such as the colors of flowers, leaves, and sky.
PLAYFUL AND WHIMSICAL THEMES
Playful and Whimsical Themes – Rococo art often features playful and whimsical themes, such as depictions of cherubs, cupids, and other mythological creatures. These themes are used to create a sense of fantasy and escape from the real world.
USE OF ASYMMETRY
Use of Asymmetry – Rococo art often uses asymmetry to create a sense of dynamic energy in the artwork. This can be seen in the arrangement of furniture, the design of architecture, and the composition of paintings.
EMPHASIS ON NATURE
Emphasis on Nature and the Natural World – Rococo art often features motifs and themes inspired by nature and the natural world. This can be seen in the use of floral and botanical motifs, as well as depictions of pastoral landscapes and scenes of leisure and pleasure.
“Immersion in the Rococo”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Soft Pastel on Museum Board, 36”x24”
The next self-portrait is made in the style of Rococo. The work was done in soft pastel since this time is characterized by the appearance of the first works in soft pastel. Costume and background with characteristic pale blue colors typical for this time. The wig and jewelry complement the figure, and the full growth of the artist clearly demonstrates her perky character. At the same time, I experimented with the background. I added a little charm to the portrait by complicating the back background with roses to demonstrate the character of this time more clearly – extravagant, lush, and intriguing.
Romanticism & Beginning of Impressionism
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) is an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. For most of the Western world, it was at its peak from approximately 1800 to 1850. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of the past and nature, preferring the medieval to the classical.
The movement emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience. It granted new importance to experiences of sympathy, awe, wonder, and terror, in part by naturalizing such emotions as responses to the “beautiful” and the “sublime”. Romanticism also prioritized the artist’s unique, individual imagination above the strictures of classical form.
Romanticism challenged the rational ideals so loved by artists of the Enlightenment. Romantic artists believed that emotions and senses were equally as important as order and reason for experiencing and understanding the world.
This interest in the individual and subjective—at odds with eighteenth-century rationalism—is mirrored in the Romantic approach to portraiture. Portrait artists shared with many of the Romantic painters a more free handling of paint, emphasized in the new prominence of the brushstroke and impasto, which tended to be repressed in neoclassicism under a self-effacing finish.
In the female self-portraits of this time, the transfer of the author’s own pictorial and plastic manner comes to the fore (Sarah Goodridge, Hortense Gaudeburg-Lescaut, Amanda Sindval, etc.)
Techniques
LACK OF UNIFYING STYLE, TECHNIQUE, OR SUBJECT MATTER
Romanticism wasn’t like Rococo art, in which fashionable, attractive people engaged in fashionable, attractive pastimes while courtly love lurked around every corner -and all of these goings-on were captured in a light-hearted, whimsical style.
Romantic art ranged from the smooth-as-glass, highly detailed, monumental canvas for loose brush strokes. The technique was all over the map; execution was completely up to the artist.
INNOVATIONS
Certain Romantic artists made innovations that later movements incorporated as crucial elements including elements of impressionism. For example, a tendency to use tiny brushstrokes of pure pigments to emphasize dappled light. Romantic Artists discovered that, when viewed from a distance, dots of color merged. This development was taken up with great enthusiasm by the Impressionists, and the Pointillists.
EMOTIONAL EMPHASIS
The paintings of the Romantic period were emotional characters. Artists expressed as much feeling and passion as could be loaded onto a canvas. Even portraits were not straightforward representations — the sitter would be given eyes meant to be mirrors of the soul, a smile, a grimace, or a certain tilt of the head. With little touches, the artist could portray his subject surrounded by an atmosphere of innocence, madness, virtue, loneliness, or altruism.
CURRENT EVENTS
In addition to the emotionally charged feelings one got from looking at Romantic paintings, contemporary viewers were usually quite knowledgeable of the story behind the subject matter.
“Immersion in Romanticism”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Linen, 30”x40”
The next period is late 18th – early 19th century. I combined two different styles of this time – Early Impressionism and Romanticism. This Self-portrait was painted with oil on linen. To create this artwork, I no longer used underpainting. I began this oil painting with opaque neutral colors, which is typical for this time. For this composition, I incorporated characteristics of the 18th century – an old piano in the home, and a high-waisted dress with a straw hat. The background and interior of the house were painted with the Impressionism technique with wet-on-wet strokes in the mid-ground.
Pointillism, Post-Impressionism
Pointillism art reinvented the use of painting with small dabs of paint that were made famous by the Impressionist movement, to the point where artists attempted to produce an entire painting out of these little dots of pure color. Therefore, it is often viewed as part of the post-impressionist movement, as it rose in popularity between the 1880s and 1890s after the Impressionist period had ended.
The revolutionary painting technique that eventually became known as Pointillism attempted to use the science of optics when creating paintings. This was done by painting small but separate dots of unmixed colors side by side, which were placed in various patterns in order to form an image.
The effect that this had was that in placing the dots so close to one another, they would automatically blur into an image by the eyes of viewers. This technique resembles the way computer screens work today, as the pixels on the screen resemble the dots in a Pointillism painting.
One may wonder why artists went to so much trouble to develop this innovative yet uniquely complex technique. This was simply due to the fact that they wanted to remodel and transform what art stood for. In doing so, they were able to present a new definition of what it meant to be an artist at the time.
Traces of the influence that impressionism had on pointillist technique are visible, especially in painting themes, which is why pointillism is rightly called the impressionist-inspired technique. Inherited impressionist themes are those related to Plein air painting – frequent are scenes from rural life, landscapes, and views of coastal cities. In addition to the usual themes such as portrait or self-portrait, many pointillism paintings include scenes from urban areas, parks that bring authentic depictions of contemporary interiors and exteriors, intimate ambiences, but also larger gathering spaces such as circuses or cabarets.
In female self-portraits, artists are beginning to look for a new artistic language and way of creating an image. On the pictorial side, their portraits are distinguished by a faster, freer manner of execution, bold composition, unexpected angles of figures, and strong contrasts of color spots. In self-portraits of the last decades of the 19th century, there is a growing interest in a psychologically expressive, intellectual image.
Techniques
POINTILLISM AND COLOR THEORY
The pointillist artist had been introduced to the RYB color model, which includes red, green, and yellow pigment as primary colors on the basis of which a chromatic diagram is formed.
That diagram had been frequently used among pointillist painters since it shows complementary colors and their relations. Maxwell’s experiments with trichromatic color theory and colorimetry were important in developing the pointillist theory as well.
Rood divided color into three constants: purity, luminosity, and hue similar to Maxwell but his contribution is especially reflected in the domain of application of these achievements in pointillist works.
It was Rood’s calculations that paved the way for an experiment with the arrangement of pairs of complementary colors which is revolutionary in relation to traditional methods of using paint. He believed that if the pairs of complementary colors are arranged at a defined density and later observed from a certain distance, they will enhance the presence of the entire painting.
OPTICAL PRINCIPLES AND POINTILLIST COLOR SPOTS
The theory of complementary color pairs that are confronted on the white canvas and observed from an appropriate distance in order to achieve the full force of their visual capacity is called Divisionism.
As Divisionism and Pointillism are often equated as terms, it is important to emphasize that Divisionism is the principle of color relations and Pointillism is a method or way of painting. So, all pointillist paintings are necessarily divisionist while all divisionist paintings do not have to be pointillist.
The key to the pointillist painting technique is the way the paint is applied to the white canvas. The paint is not previously mixed on the palette, it is applied in its unadulterated form as pure color. Therefore, tiny dots of primary colors had been used to generate secondary colors. This application is done by precisely leaving small dots of the desired shade of the primary color.
REVOLUTIONARY PRINCIPLES OF PAINTING
The principle of using a brush is crucial for identifying pointillism painting. In this specific style, the color is applied in rows of tiny dots not in broader brush strokes. Since post-impressionism, the unburdened stroke of the brush bringing layers of color in uneven size ratios is becoming more and more noticeable. It is the insistence on precision that separates the neo-impressionist tradition of pointillism from those that followed.
“Immersion in Classicism”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Linen, 40”x30”
This is another self-portrait representing the end of the 19th century and combining two styles: classicism and pointillism. The artwork is painted with oil on linen. The figure is presented in a women’s costume of the late 19th century and is painted in the technique of classicism realism. The background reflects the time and character of the era made using pointillism in the color palette of this time. The artwork shows a combination of entirely different styles.
Art Deco
By the end of the 19th century in France, many of the notable artists, architects, and designers who had played important roles in the development of the Art Nouveau style recognized that it was becoming increasingly passé. At the close of a century that saw the Industrial Revolution take hold, contemporary life became very different from a few decades earlier. It was time for something new, something that would shout “20th Century” from tasteful, modernist rooftops. It was the beginning of Art Deco.
Sometimes referred to as simply “Deco”, Art Deco was an art style that was characterized by daring geometry that led to extremely luxurious and detailed artworks. As a visual arts style that incorporated both elements of architecture and design, Art Deco first appeared in France just before the start of World War One. The Art Deco style originated in Paris but has influenced architecture and culture as a whole. Art Deco works are symmetrical, geometric, streamlined, often simple, and pleasing to the eye.
One of the biggest accomplishments of the Art Deco movement was the fact that almost everything could be seen as art, from something as simple as clocks, glassware, and ashtrays to more complex creations like cars and buildings. The purpose behind the artworks was to create a stylish and anti-traditional form of refinement that represented wealth and sophistication.
In this time more significant changes in the art of the female self-portrait took place in the 20th century, mainly associated with the increasingly strength gained by of the feminist movement to equalize women’s rights with men. At this time, the image of a free, emancipated woman finally came into fashion. Almost without exception, ladies begin to wear a men’s suit, cut their hair short, smoke cigarettes, drive a car, sit at the controls of an airplane, participate in sports on an equal basis with men, master men’s professions, make a career, and much more.
All this is reflected in the genre of self-portrait. If in former times a woman openly emphasized her feminine essence, proudly declaring her exclusive status, now, in the pursuit of equality, the boundaries of the sexes are being erased. Women strive in everything to acquire the appearance of a male artist. Trying to escape the softness and sweetness of female images, the artists proclaim a new look at a woman, unburdened by stereotypes and clichés. There is a marked increase in interest in the image of one’s body and feelings. Nude self-portraits appear. For the first time in the history of art, in the words of Diego Rivera, women bring to the public “so naked and, one might say, with calm ferocity, all that is common and private inherent in a woman.” A vivid example is the numerous self-portraits of the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Since the second half of the century 20th, the main theme in women’s art has been the reflection on female identity – about what a woman is and how her image is perceived by the collective and private consciousness. Gradually, the artists move away from the picturesque reproduction of their own appearance, switching all their attention to the direct use of the body itself as the main means and way of self-expression.
One of the few female artists who practiced in the Art Deco movement was the Russian-born French artist Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979). Co-founder of the Orphism art movement, Delaunay is said to have been included with other notable Art Deco designers who still hold a strong influence over various fashion trends today. Inspired by the Cubist and Fauvist movements, Delaunay worked closely with fellow Surrealist and Dada artists while perfecting her style. This led to her becoming the first designer to bring abstract inspiration into the realm of fashion.
Another very important female artist who produced artworks during the Art Deco period is Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980). Possibly one of the most respected and recognizable artists to emerge from the Art Deco movement, Polish-born Lempicka was best known for her refined and trendy Art Deco depictions of the wealthy class and her incredibly stylized paintings of nudes. Settling in Paris after the Russian revolution, Lempicka became fascinated with the nonconformist Parisian lifestyle that existed in the 1920s.
Lempicka’s portraits brought her critical praise and significant wealth. Her style of painting perfectly depicted a lifestyle of luxury and glamour, with inspiration being taken from other movements like Cubism. Her unique approach to Art Deco painting allowed her to present works that were both extravagant yet clean and precise in nature. The boldness of Lempicka’s colors and her angular style referenced some of the main features of the Art Deco style, which has led to her works being seen as the best representation of Art Deco painting.
Techniques
DIFFERENT FORMS OF ART DECO ART
The Art Deco period was characterized by harmonious, clean, geometric, sleek, usually uncomplicated, and visually pleasing artworks. The style’s main visual features derived from repetitive use of linear shapes that frequently included triangular, trapezoidal, zigzag, and chevron-patterned forms. Similar to the precursor movement of Art Nouveau, objects like humans, animals, or even flowers were rendered in a highly stylized and streamlined way in order to maintain the general aesthetic of Art Deco.
THE USE OF LINES
The use of lines to denote movement, made famous by Futurist artists, was used by Art Deco creatives in the form of parallel lines and narrowing forms to indicate the concept of balance and streamlining.
“Immersion in The Art Deco”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Linen, 30”x40”
The Art Deco next self-portrait reflects the character of the early 20th century and is done in oil in linen in black and white, emphasizing the new era of black and white cinema and photography.
I am presented in an extravagant 1920s art deco costume, with a cigarette accentuating the fashion for smoking among women at this time. The background is presented as a gallery interior with a simple drawing in colored pencil and oil painting. A feature of this self-portrait is the pencil in the artist’s hand, the only element in the whole image with color. The lilac color of the pencil is not accidental – it is like the beginning of the story of the next era of avant-garde and bright modern art, which will be presented in the following works reflecting the 21st century mainly in bright lilac colors. Lilac and purple are my favorite colors.
Futurism
Futurism was invented, and predominantly based, in Italy, led by the charismatic poet Marinetti. The group was at its most influential and active between 1909 and 1914 but was re-started by Marinetti after the end of the First World War. This revival attracted new artists and became known as second generation Futurism. Although most prominent in Italy, Futurist ideas were utilized by artists in Britain (informing Vorticism), the US and Japan and Futurist works were displayed all over Europe. Russian Futurism is usually considered a separate movement, although some Russian Futurists did engage with the earlier Italian movement. Futurism anticipated the aesthetics of Art Deco as well as influencing Dada and German Expressionism.
A key focus of the Futurists was the depiction of movement, or dynamism. The group developed a number of novel techniques to express speed and motion, including blurring, repetition, and the use of lines of force. This last method was adapted from the work of the Cubists and the inclusion of such lines became a feature of Futurist image.
The Futurist painters were slow to develop a distinctive style and subject matter. In 1910 and 1911 they used the techniques of Divisionism, breaking light and color down into a field of stippled dots and stripes, which had been adopted from Divisionism by Giovanni Segantini and others. Later, Severini, who lived in Paris, attributed their backwardness in style and method at this time to their distance from Paris, the center of avant-garde art. Cubism contributed to the formation of Italian Futurism’s artistic style. Severini was the first to come into contact with Cubism and following a visit to Paris in 1911 the Futurist painters adopted the methods of the Cubists. Cubism offered them a means of analyzing energy in paintings and expressing dynamism.
In Russian Futurist and Cubo-Futurist circles, from the start, there was a higher percentage of women participants than in Italy; examples of major female Futurists are Natalia Goncharova, Aleksandra Ekster, and Lyubov Popova.
Despite the chauvinistic nature of the Italian Futurist program, many serious professional female artists adopted the style, especially so after the end of the first World War. Notably among these female futurists is F.T Marinetti’s own wife Benedetta Cappa Marinetti. In a letter dated August 16, 1919, Marinetti wrote to Benedetta “Do not forget your promise to work. You must carry your genius to its ultimate splendor. Every day.” Although many of Benedetta’s paintings were exhibited in major Italian exhibitions like the 1930-1936 Venice Biennales (in which she was the first woman to have her art displayed since the exhibition’s founding in 1895), the 1935 Rome Quadriennale and several other futurist exhibitions, she was oft overshadowed in her work by her husband.
Techniques
DYNAMISM
Futurist artists sought to create works that captured movement, or dynamism, as a way of representing the frenetic motion of modern life. This association between speed and modernity is reinforced by the Manifesto of Futurist Painters (1910) which notes that artists “must breathe in the tangible miracles of contemporary life – the iron network of speedy communications which envelops the earth, the transatlantic liners, the dreadnoughts, those marvelous flights which furrow our skies, the profound courage of our submarine navigators and the spasmodic struggle to conquer the unknown. How can we remain insensible to the frenetic life of our great cities…?”
Dynamism was usually depicted through fracturing of the image, energetic brushstrokes, compositional turbulence, and receding or emerging forms.
“Immersion in The Futurism”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Canvas, 40”x30”
My Self-portrait, Immersion in the Futurism, showing some details of late Futurism is created on a canvas with oil paint using a palette knife. The portrait uses bright colors, predominately lilac, purple, yellow, and blue. Vibrant strokes reflect the movement and splatter of paint from my palette. I wanted to display my emotions and experiment a little on the border of two styles of the 20th century, Futurism and Fauvism.
The figure and face are no longer painted in detail in this portrait. But the figure is still recognizable. The bare knee shows the beginning of an era when women were no longer shy about painting themselves naked and revealing parts of their bodies. The cowboy hat in the portrait and cowboy boots in the portrait represent the beginning of an era of strong Americas and feminism.
Expressionism
Expressionism first emerged in 1905, when a group of four German architecture students who desired to become painters – Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Erich Heckel – formed the group Die Brücke (The Bridge) in the city of Dresden. The term “Expressionism” is thought to have been coined in 1910 by Czech art historian Antonin Matejcek, who intended it to denote the opposite of Impressionism. Whereas the Impressionists sought to express the majesty of nature and the human form through paint, the Expressionists, according to Matejcek, sought only to express inner life, often via the painting of harsh and realistic subject matter. It should be noted, however, that neither Die Brücke, nor similar sub-movements, ever referred to themselves as Expressionist, and, in the early years of the century, the term was widely used to apply to a variety of styles, including post-impressionism. Unlike the pastoral scenes of Impressionism and the academic drawings of Neoclassicism, Die Brücke artists used distorted forms and jarring, unnatural pigments to elicit the viewer’s emotional response. The artists shared an inclination towards abstraction, symbolic content, and spiritual allusion. They sought to express the emotional aspects of being through highly symbolic and brightly colored renderings.
Expressionism emerged simultaneously in various cities across Germany as a response to a widespread anxiety about humanity’s increasingly discordant relationship with the world and accompanying lost feelings of authenticity and spirituality. In part a reaction against Impressionism and academic art, Expressionism was inspired most heavily by the Symbolist currents in late-19th-century art. Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and James Ensor proved particularly influential to the Expressionists, encouraging the distortion of form and the deployment of strong colors to convey a variety of anxieties and yearnings.
The classic phase of the Expressionist movement lasted from approximately 1905 to 1920 and spread throughout Europe. Its example would later powerfully inform many individuals, and groups such as: Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Expressionism, and The School of London. Expressionism’s elasticity has meant that many artists beyond Germany’s borders have been identified with the style.
Well-known Women Artists in Expressionism like Nell Walden was an influential art dealer, collector, and artist, who promoted women Expressionists during the First World War. Another Dutch artist Jacoba van Heemskerck’s spiritual abstraction earned her the status of an honorary German Expressionist. Figures such as Rosa Schapire and Johanna Ey contributed to the development of the movement as spectators, critics, and collectors of male avant-gardism.
Techniques
THE CHARACTER OF THE ARTIST’S FEELINGS
The arrival of Expressionism announced new standards in the creation and judgment of art. Art was now meant to come forth from within the artist, rather than from a depiction of the external visual world, and the standard for assessing the quality of a work of art became the character of the artist’s feelings rather than an analysis of the composition.
SWIRLING, SWAYING
Expressionist artists often employed swirling, swaying, and exaggeratedly executed brushstrokes in the depiction of their subjects. These techniques were meant to convey the turgid emotional state of the artist reacting to the anxieties of the modern world.
SERPENTINE FIGURAL RENDERINGS AND BOLD COLORS
Through their confrontation with the urban world of the early-20th century, Expressionist artists developed a powerful mode of social criticism in their serpentine figural renderings and bold colors. Their representations of the modern city included alienated individuals – a psychological by-product of recent urbanization – as well as prostitutes, who were used to comment on capitalism’s role in the emotional distancing of individuals within cities.
“Immersion in The Expressionism”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Soft Pastel on Museum Board, 36”x24”
When immersed in expressionism, I decided to use blurry forms. For this, I used soft pastel pencils and a soft pastel board 24”x36” in size. You can still see the figure in this portrait and recognize the face. I also wanted to show the village’s landscape with the old fence and the atmosphere of the mystery. I continue to use the same accents of lilac and yellow in the color palette, which makes the work very close to my character.
Abstract
Abstract art in its strictest sense has its origins in the 19th century. The period of Romanticism had put forward ideas about art that denied classicism’s emphasis on imitation and idealization and had instead stressed the role of imagination and of the unconscious as the essential creative factors. Gradually many painters of this period began to accept the new freedom and the new responsibilities implied in the coalescence of these attitudes. Three art movements which contributed to the development of abstract art were Romanticism, Impressionism and Expressionism.
Abstract art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays little or no part. All art consists largely of elements that can be called abstract elements of form, color, line, tone, and texture. Prior to the 20th century these abstract elements were employed by artists to describe, illustrate, or reproduce the world of nature and of human civilization—and exposition dominated over expressive function.
Abstract art, non-figurative art, non-objective art, and non-representational art are all closely related terms. They have similar, but perhaps not identical, meanings.
There is, however, a deep distinction between abstracting from appearances, even if to the point of unrecognizability, and making works of art out of forms not drawn from the visible world. During the four- or five-years preceding World War I, such artists as Robert Delaunay, Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, and Vladimir Tatlin turned to fundamentally abstract art. (Kandinsky was traditionally regarded as having been the first modern artist to paint purely abstract pictures containing no recognizable objects, in 1910–11. That narrative, however, was later questioned, especially in the 21st century with the renewed interest in Swedish artist Hilma af Klint. She painted her first abstract work in 1906 but with a different goal than achieving pure abstraction.) The majority of even the progressive artists regarded the abandonment of every degree of representation with disfavour, however. During World War I the emergence of the de Stijl group in the Netherlands and of the Dada group in Zürich further widened the spectrum of abstract art.
Abstract art did not flourish between World Wars I and II. But after World War II an energetic American school of abstract painting called Abstract Expressionism emerged and had wide influence. During the Nazi rise to power in the 1930s many artists fled Europe to the United States. By the early 1940s the main movements in modern art, expressionism, cubism, abstraction, surrealism, and dada were represented in New York The rich cultural influences brought by the European artists were distilled and built upon by local New York painters. The climate of freedom in New York allowed all of these influences to flourish. The art galleries that primarily had focused on European art began to notice the local art community and the work of younger American artists who had begun to mature. Certain artists at this time became distinctly abstract in their mature work. Some artists of the period defied categorization, such as Georgia O’Keeffe who, while a modernist abstractionist, was a pure maverick in that she painted highly abstract forms while not joining any specific group of the period.
Eventually American artists who were working in a great diversity of styles began to coalesce into cohesive stylistic groups. The best-known group of American artists became known as the Abstract expressionists and the New York School. In New York City there was an atmosphere which encouraged discussion and there was a new opportunity for learning and growing. Artists and teachers John D. Graham and Hans Hofmann became important bridge figures between the newly arrived European Modernists and the younger American artists coming of age. Mark Rothko, born in Russia, began with strongly surrealist imagery which later dissolved into his powerful color compositions of the early 1950s. The expressionistic gesture and the act of painting itself, became of primary importance to Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, and Franz Kline. While during the 1940s Arshile Gorky’s and Willem de Kooning’s figurative work evolved into abstraction by the end of the decade. New York City became the center, and artists worldwide gravitated towards it; from other places in America as well.
Abstract art puzzled and indeed confused many people, but for those who accepted its nonreferential language there is no doubt as to its value and achievements.
The first names that come to mind in Abstract Expressionism—Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and the like—may all be men, but women artists also played a crucial role in the internationally-renown movement.
Lee Krasner (1908-1984). In 1937, after several years studying with artist Hans Hofmann at his eponymous school, Krasner painted a work that Hofmann described as “so good you would not know that it was done by a woman.” Throughout her career, Krasner, one of the earliest and most innovative AbEx practitioners, would struggle against the marginalization of women artists, even changing her first name from Lena to the gender-ambiguous Lee in the 1940s. While she introduced her husband, Jackson Pollock, to the ideas and key progenitors of the movement for which he would become the poster boy, her relation to Pollock often superceded her own reputation as an artist. Krasner is one of the few artists on this list who saw a retrospective of her work mounted during her lifetime (in 1983, a year before her death). But her paintings, which burst with fierce, swooping lines and swollen shapes reminiscent of body parts, have only recently begun to receive their due as integral to shaping Abstract Expressionism and its legacy. Her 1957 magnum opus, The Seasons, which stretches 17 feet wide, is now the centerpiece of the Whitney Museum’s seventh floor hanging.
Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989). De Kooning was a fixture of New York’s tight-knit Abstract Expressionist cohort, which included her husband Willem de Kooning, though she set herself apart by making portraits. Her compositions were edged with the movement’s high-octane gestures, as well as her own frustration with the marginalization of female artists. Her “Faceless Men” series, for instance, obscured the features of her more famous male contemporaries, like post-war poet and art critic Frank O’Hara. They were unveiled at her first solo exhibition at the Stable Gallery in 1952.
“Immersion in The Abstract”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Oil on Canvas, 40”x30”
But a more exciting task for me was experimenting with abstraction. I wanted to create a self-portrait in the same color scheme but hide behind the bright abstract technique of the same familiar figure in a cowboy hat and dress. The self-portrait, Immersion in the Abstract, was created on canvas 40″x30″ in size with oil paint using new and different oil paint mixing techniques. It isn’t easy to recognize the figure of the artist, but it is hidden inside, and splashes of paint still display its character.
Contemporary Art & Century XXI
NEW STYLES & NEW MEDIUMS
Even more significant changes have occurred and continue to happen in the 21st century.
In the 21st century, artists have started to conceive new ways to activate and elaborate on the portrayal of women. We can see a lot of unusual self-portraits and female portraits with different presentations of beauty by artists Jordan Casteel, Nicole Eisenman, Tracy Emin, Deborah Roberts, Jenny Saville, Amy Sherald, and Mickalene Thomas. Replete with complexities, realness, abjection, beauty, complications, everydayness, and joy, the portraits make way for female artists to share the stage with their male counterparts in defining the image of a woman and how it has evolved.
In the 21st century, art styles vary from abstract to absurdist and sometimes shock you.
This era completely changed the stereotypes of female beauty.
Many self-portraits of the famous contemporary artist Chantal Joffe have a psychological resonance. The female forms are devoid of actual proportions and ironically absurd. The inner content of the works and colors instead reflect the artist’s feelings for herself and the world around her rather than trying to display beauty. Just 250 years after the portrait of Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun, we can see in the portrait of Chantal Joffe, how significant the evolution of the female self-portrait developed through centuries and styles.
Self-portrait, as a genre, can tell a lot about its author. It shows the viewer the artist’s appearance, her pictorial style, and the author’s thoughts about herself and her inner world. The female self-portrait developed in parallel with the male self-portrait for a long time but remained in the shadows, like all female art in general. The reasons for this lie not only in the history of world art, but some of them concern issues of history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and other sciences that affect the status of women in the world, family, and society. Despite the vast study area, the female self-portrait itself is no less interesting for research. Belonging to the brush of the artist, it tells in the first persons about the woman’s awareness of her place in the world, art, and society, and where she lived and worked.
“Immersion in The Future”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Watercolor Batik on Rice Paper, 24”x36”
Continued experimentation with materials gave me the opportunity to combine the ancient Chinese technique of watercolor batik on rice paper with modern art styles and the use of bright and dark colors not typical of batik. For self-portrait Immersion in the Future I used 24”x36” size rice paper, hot wax, and watercolor. After many layers of hot wax, watercolor painting and drying of the picture, I glued it on canvas, applied varnish on top to give the portrait a unique texture and shine. In this self-portrait, we still recognize the artist in a cowboy hat and bright splashes of paint from the palette, but we can hardly accurately discern a specific style.
“Fire of Art”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Acrylic Pouring on Canvas, 30”x40”
In the 21st century, art is becoming more diverse due to the emergence of entirely new materials. One of the most popular trends in the painting of the 21st century is the emergence of acrylic paint and the pouring technique. Usually, the works of this technique are decorative and rarely depict a specific object or figure. This allowed me to experiment with modern techniques and try to display a self-portrait using additional tools and materials. The self-portrait Fire of Art, I used acrylic paint, puri medium, distilled water, silicone, and modeling paste on a 30 x 40 canvas. Most of the paint and medium was applied with palette knives and wet napkins. And, of course, the same lilac color dominates.
“Madam from Alexandrite Stones”. Self-portrait. Artist Daria P. Dega. Geode with Resin, Natural Stones, Glass on Wooden Board 48”x48”
But a more intriguing experiment for me was the execution of a self-portrait with the latest technology of the 21st century Geode with Resin.
I wanted to show that it is possible to create a self-portrait and express the artist’s character even with this technique. I completed this work with a large wooden board 48×48 size, multi-colored glass, natural stones, acrylic powder, and epoxy resin. When creating this artwork, I wanted to hide the figure in a scattering of glass and show it more spacious in an evening lilac dress with an open back. I wanted to show the brightness and brilliance of the world around me, wrapped in the lush beauty of art. I wanted to show what I feel, live by, and what makes me happy when I create art.
