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History about portraiture
The history of portraiture
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Selfies have gained immense popularity worldwide due to their modern convenience, and these photographs share a similar nature to that of painted self-portraiture: they are intended to reveal and/or conceal certain attributes about the subject, and the subject controls the creation of the piece itself. Selfies are often accused of not being art for their self-obsession, but they are not necessarily inherently narcissistic just as self-portraiture is not intrinsically egotistical.
“Selfie” could be considered a synonym for a self-portrait created through the medium of photography, for the similarities between painted self-portraits and selfies are undeniable. Artists create self-portraits for a multitude of reasons: are they depicting themselves
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The simple answer is convenience. Painted self-portraits would be completed in months to years, while a selfie can be taken in less than a second. Modern selfies are usually produced with smartphones or webcams, and the introduction of the front-facing camera on the iPhone in 2010 assisted in this convenience. Prior to smartphones and computers, self-portrait photography was created through box cameras. Kodak spearheaded the popularity of selfies in the 19th century with the release of the box camera: consumers would simply point the camera at a mirror or at themselves and wait for the photo to process. Daguerreotypes were portraits taken earlier than the Kodak camera was introduced, around 1840, and were usually small and on a polished metal surface. Robert Cornelius is believed to have taken the first selfie through a …show more content…
Why are we capturing an image of ourselves? Taking a photograph of oneself is not a new phenomenon: the act has existed over centuries. Its resilience to the passage of time could be because of the desire people have to express themselves - the very art of self-expression has existed for much longer than photography itself through self-portraiture. In fact, the purposes of self-portraiture and selfies are practically one and the same. Both can be premeditated with the intent of analyzing one’s own flaws, or concealing any perceived defects, and the two practices of self-representation are controlled by the subject. Selfies and self-portraits share more similarities than they
Although Rachel Simmons in “ Selfies Are Good for Girls” and Erin Ryan in “ Selfies Aren’t Empowering. They’re a Cry for Help”, both agree selfies can show accomplishments. However, Simmons believes selfies are a way for young women to boost their pride whereas Ryan defines them as a way to gain social approval confirmation. Simmons believes selfies are empowering, and increase self-confidence levels of young women. According to Simmons “selfie is a tiny pulse of girl pride - a shout-out to the self (P4)”. In other word, she believes self-portrait gives teenage girls an outlet to express pride within themselves. She explains how selfie not only express pride, it is also a way for young women to share their accomplishments, as shown in the
...ndividual subject in the image, and perhaps by putting themselves in their shoes, deepen their understanding of their own autonomy. Once one is able to find the application to themselves, they have successfully filtered the subjectivity of the photographer, and established their own subjectivity towards the image.
This is a pseudoscience which assesses character and morality from outer appearance, applying the practice of “judging a book by its cover” to the human form. However, one could argue that facial expressions and gestures, as well as race and gender, are socially and culturally learned and not necessarily a reflection on the person’s inner self. The theories of Physiognomy have been discredited and this is one of the reasons why numerous contemporary photographers criticize the conventional portrait and dismiss the belief that the portrait can claim to reveal or capture the inner being, the soul; which they instead categorise as myth. They also refuse the idea that a portrait is believed to be believable and adequate complete resemblance, of the individual being photographed. (Ewing, 2004,
She focuses on snapshots of a person’s daily life. hooks discusses the significance of these snapshots in the time of post-segregation; when negative stereotypes of African-Americans were rampant. For black people, these snapshots allowed others to see that in reality, black and white people were not all that different. Snapshots allow people to “look at ourselves with new eyes…create oppositional standards of evaluation” and now “[black people] saw [themselves] represented in these images not as caricatures, cartoon like figures; [they] were there in full diversity of body, being, and expression, multidimensional” (hooks, 61). hooks believed that the snapshots broke down the mental barriers between black people and white people in the minds of white people. What the whites learned through the images was that although they believed that the blacks were almost subhuman, in reality, they were no different from them. They both did normal, human activities such as playing games, loving their family, or celebrating. Tsarnaev’s selfie classifies as a snapshot, which is unusual for a magazine cover. Most magazine covers are professionally done photos that are edited and photoshopped to look flawless however the image of Tsarnaev is raw and taken with a cellphone camera. A selfie is more raw and candid than a
Whereas men had a so-called “head-start” with painting and sculpture, photography was pioneered by and equally associated with both genders. Sexualized images of women circulated via mass media. Described as a voyeuristic medium, photography was a powerful tool in deconstructing the male gaze and bringing private moments into the public domain (Bonney 1985: 11).
A self portrait is normally a painting of the painter itself. The painting is a tangible piece of art because it is
Photography allows us to maintain memories and relish them whenever we desire. Although some advocates might argue that people are no longer enjoying experiences instead taking more pictures, in the essay, “Why We Take Pictures”, by Susan Sontag, she conflates that photography can be used as a defense against anxiety and a tool of empowerment. I agree with Sontag on the significance of photographs and how it allows us to store a part of our extended relatives so we are able to hold on the memories of family. Therefore, we must appreciate how photography allows us to manage anxiety, express feelings and remember our loved ones.
A picture is more than just a piece of time captured within a light-sensitive emulsion, it is an experience one has whose story is told through an enchanting image. I photograph the world in the ways I see it. Every curious angle, vibrant color, and abnormal subject makes me think, and want to spark someone else’s thought process. The photographs in this work were not chosen by me, but by the reactions each image received when looked at. If a photo was merely glanced at or given a casual compliment, then I didn’t feel it was strong enough a work, but if one was to stop somebody, and be studied in curiosity, or question, then the picture was right to be chosen.
Ever since selfies started trending, this generation started caring only about how their pictures turned out. People nowadays stop everything they may be doing to capture the perfect selfie. Selfie sticks were also recently created to add more to this silly picture. After this trend, many apps came out to edit and perfect ones selfie. Eventually, these apps may lead to over editing and maybe even towards younger people. Teens stop focusing on school work and more on how to keep their online audience entertained. In fact, it has become sort of a competition to see who has the lost Instagram followers or likes on our selfies.
Victoria, Woollaston. "Selfies Are 'damaging' and Leave Young People Vulnerable to Abuse, Claims Psychologist." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
Introspection of oneself could be interesting and moderately to an extent challenging to put into words. There are many factors that influences who we are as an individual or as a part of a group. Generally speaking I believe we all wear several masks that portray us in different ways according to our settings and who we are around. Ever since I was able to get allowances and old enough to work, I invested in cameras in order to capture the various aspects of my life. I always thought I would reflect back on them to describe the moments, where I was in my life and my views during those moments. I could describe myself as many things; an outgoing, shy, caring, loyal, trustworthy, kind, an altruistic and conscientious person and etc. These are the ways I view myself, while others might have a different prospective of me. Gazing through the six pictures of myself reflects my perceived self-control, self-concept and self-presentation at the different stages within my life.
Photography has created an outlet for the masses to story tell. It has a way of speaking without words like most art forms and is a manner of expression in itself. To eradicate photography from humans would be equivalent to taking away a limb from humankind. Our society has grown an immense amount of dependency on it. Photography has become almost a daily menial task such as brushing your teeth; where we must take pictures of the things we deem important or equally unimportant, even more so with the invention of social media outlets such as Instagram and Snapchat, where photography is the main source of communication between people who use them. Susan Sontag offers the basis of what taking pictures can undertake in both our daily lives and moments that are not part of our daily lives, such as travel. Traveling to places where one is not accustomed can flare pent up anxiety. A way to subdue that anxiety could be through taking pictures, since it’s the only factor that we have total control over in a space where we don’t have much, or, any control of our surrounding environment. On the other hand, taking photos can also be a tool of power in the same sense as it allows for it to be a defense against anxiety. With the camera in our hands, we have the power to decide who, what, where, when, and why we take a picture. This in turn also gives the person who took the picture power over those who later analyze the photos, letting them decide the meaning of the photo individually, despite the intended or true meaning.
What makes up an identity is simply what makes a person unique, their personality, actions, and beliefs. Although identity is something that is mainly palpable, it can be shown and represented in physical mediums to help communicate a message. Self-portraits allow an artist to paint themselves on how they view themselves in the society, which may help communicate their state of mind. How you may choose to disseminate your identity may influence how people view you, and ultimately will change how you perceive yourself. Since identity effects how people view you, it is best for people to just reveal their true selves, and not form to social norms. Because your identity is unchanging, unique, and special, because it is who you are - not what people want you to
Several decades ago, communications philosopher Marshall McLuhan spoke about the development of the Global Village and how the evolution of new technologies would help connect people on opposite sides of the world, creating online communities that would break boundaries and borders. While this change has been recognized, so too has the idea explored by his successors in which while individuals were expected to look at others in the world through a telescope, they have alternatively developed the tendency to look at themselves through a microscope. As the era of worldwide connectivity began, so did the era of ‘me, me, me’. Both the hardware and the software of the new millennium, inclusive of the iPhone’s forward-facing camera, and apps that allow one to fix blemishes and whiten teeth, have adapted to allow this change to an inward focus. While this has certainly caught on, it has also begun to cause a lot of problems. The act of posting about the self began to be seen as a negatively self-centered one when Facebook NewsFeeds were filled with egotistic stories and ‘Selfies,’ photos of the self. Shortly after, the application Instagram was created, where the occurrence of the Selfie was magnified to a greater degree. This intensive focus inward, and the way these pieces of media are shared, have made some individuals reliant on the positive expressions of others for self-confidence and social approval. When self-esteem is intertwined with how many ‘likes’ a photo gets on a mobile application, we start to see a shift in how self-awareness is formed, what people will do for this approval, and how some will react to a lack of attention.
Have you ever wondered why our selfies are so much better than yours? (Visual Aid)