Gwendolyn Knight

Gwendolyn Knight, Girl (Self-portrait), 2004

CONTEXT CLUES:

Gwendolyn Knight was born on the island of Barbados in the West Indies but spent most of her adult life in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. In the 1920's and 30's, Harlem was a big center for African-American art - music, dance, art, fashion, literature, and theater. Knight's artwork was often inspired by the artists around her as well as her own African ancestry.

Though Knight was about 90 years old when she made this painting, the picture represents her at the age of 23. What do you think of her expression in the painting? Is she gazing back at something sadly? Lost in thought? Turning away in anger?

More (NOT self-portraits) by Knight:

Comments

Self Portrait Gallery

Look through the gallery and choose 3 self-portraits that you personally find interesting. Click on the photos for more information about them.

Pablo Picasso

LEFT PHOTO: Pablo Picasso, Self Portrait , 1896 (age 15) RIGHT PHOTO: Pablo Picasso, Self Portrait Facing Death, 1972 (age 90) CONTEXT CLUES: Picasso was taught to draw from a very young age and was allowed to start taking classes at an art college at the age of only 13. However, at age 16 he dropped out of art school to pursue his own ideas about art. His paintings became increasingly unique and abstract. Self Portrait Facing Death was painted less than a year before Picasso died. He drew himself with huge, wide eyes facing forward and a blue-green skin color. How do you think he was feeling when he made this artwork? More self-portraits by Picasso, in the order they were made:

Egon Shiele

Egon Schiele, Self Portrait with Striped Shirt , 1910 CONTEXT CLUES: At first glance, this appears to be a normal and relatively realistic self-portrait. But look again - Egon drew himself with wide eyes, a huge forehead, and tall hair. The skin colors are also somewhat splotchy and unblended. Egon was known for extremely expressive paintings where the anatomy and poses are exaggerated and dramatic. More self-portraits by Egon Schiele:

Self Portraits

Search This Blog