ARTH 39905. THE MODERN SELF-PORTRAIT What does it mean to picture yourself? This seminar looks at the history of visual representations of the self in modern and contemporary culture before and after photography. Well explore the social media "selfie" as a uniquely modern form of self-expression and political subversion at the same time that we deeply consider its roots in a broader history of self-portraiture in art, from around 1800 to today. In examining theories and depictions of the self across varied mediums, well investigate how notions of pictorial self-presentation intersect with questions of individualism, identity, and self-promotion.
- Teacher: John Siewert