Overview

In this broad cultural survey of self-portraiture, art historian and critic James Hall brilliantly maps the history of the genre, from the earliest myths of Narcissus and the Christian tradition of 'bearing witness' to the prolific self-image-making of today's contemporary artists. His vivid account shows how artists' depictions of themselves have been part of a continuing tradition that reaches back for centuries. Along the way he reveals the importance of the medieval 'mirror craze'; the explosion of the genre during the Renaissance; the confessional self-portraits of Titian and Michelangelo; the role of biography for serial self-portraitists such as Courbet and van Gogh; themes of sex and genius in works by Munch, Bonnard and Modersohn-Becker; and the latest developments of the genre in the era of globalization The full range of self-portraits is covered here, from comic and caricature self-portraits to 'invented' or imaginary ones, as well as key collections of self-portraiture such as that of the Medici in Florence. Throughout, Hall asks why - and when - artists have chosen to make self-portraits, and looks deeply into the worlds and mindsets of the artists who have created them. Comprehensive and beautifully illustrated, the book features the work of a wide range of artists including Alberti, Caravaggio, Courbet, Dürer, Emin, Gauguin, Giotto, Goya, Kahlo, Koons, Magritte, Mantegna, Picasso, Raphael, Rembrandt and Warhol. Offering a rich and lively history, The Self-Portrait is an essential read for all those interested in this most enduringly popular and humane of art forms.

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9780500292112

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Reviews

'Wide-ranging, richly researched and evocatively illustrated … It is as varied, revelatory and idiosyncratic as the genre which it takes as its subject' - The Times 'Fascinating, erudite and beautifully produced' - Sunday Times 'Enthralling … Scattering insights on all sides, Hall’s narrative advances through the centuries with masterly vigour' - Observer 'Stimulating … Hall writes with energetic freshness … a highly engaged book that raises many questions about this intriguing and still-active genre. It deserves to be widely read' - Literary Review 'Spirited … the book’s readability and the depth of research give it an engaging pace that makes it especially refreshing' - The Art Newspaper 'There is never a dull passage in this book ... Hall manages to retain the intellectual high ground while writing with verve and enthusiasm ' - Frances Spalding, Guardian 'Lively ... Hall's range of reference is polymathic and his writing often pithy' - Daily Telegraph 'A stimulating and demanding book that requires an equally serious engagement from any reader ... There's no questioning the scholarship that lies behind this book' - The Spectator 'Hall's boundless curiosity explodes in all directions from the relatively few pages he has been allocated. Mostly we want more: more detail, more explanation and many more pictures. Given that this is a chunky and well-illustrated volume, that is meant as high praise' - Andrew Marr, New Statesman 'Hall's writing is not only accessible for a general audience, but filled with notable insights, including spicy, prurient ones' - The Daily Beast 'A graceful, sure-footed exposition, both authoritative and entertaining, of a long thread in cultural history ... I was hooked' - Carcassone 'A textured biography of the genre, where familiar works cohabit easily with esoteric ones, veined by richly-detailed, penetrating observations' - Sunday Business Post 'Exceptionally rich in detail' - Good Book Guide 'Detailed and informative ... a serious and scholarly work that nevertheless retains the reader's interest and attention and is generously and thoughtfully illustrated' - Art Book Review 'Beautifully designed ... (Hall) delivers original and engaging interpretations' - RA Magazine

'Wide-ranging, richly researched and evocatively illustrated ... It is as varied, revelatory and idiosyncratic as the genre which it takes as its subject' - The Times 'Fascinating, erudite and beautifully produced' - Sunday Times 'Enthralling ... Scattering insights on all sides, Hall's narrative advances through the centuries with masterly vigour' - Observer 'Stimulating ... Hall writes with energetic freshness ... a highly engaged book that raises many questions about this intriguing and still-active genre. It deserves to be widely read' - Literary Review 'Spirited ... the book's readability and the depth of research give it an engaging pace that makes it especially refreshing' - The Art Newspaper 'There is never a dull passage in this book ... Hall manages to retain the intellectual high ground while writing with verve and enthusiasm ' - Frances Spalding, Guardian 'Lively ... Hall's range of reference is polymathic and his writing often pithy' - Daily Telegraph 'A stimulating and demanding book that requires an equally serious engagement from any reader ... There's no questioning the scholarship that lies behind this book' - The Spectator 'Hall's boundless curiosity explodes in all directions from the relatively few pages he has been allocated. Mostly we want more: more detail, more explanation and many more pictures. Given that this is a chunky and well-illustrated volume, that is meant as high praise' - Andrew Marr, New Statesman 'Hall's writing is not only accessible for a general audience, but filled with notable insights, including spicy, prurient ones' - The Daily Beast 'A graceful, sure-footed exposition, both authoritative and entertaining, of a long thread in cultural history ... I was hooked' - Carcassone 'A textured biography of the genre, where familiar works cohabit easily with esoteric ones, veined by richly-detailed, penetrating observations' - Sunday Business Post 'Exceptionally rich in detail' - Good Book Guide 'Detailed and informative ... a serious and scholarly work that nevertheless retains the reader's interest and attention and is generously and thoughtfully illustrated' - Art Book Review 'Beautifully designed ... (Hall) delivers original and engaging interpretations' - RA Magazine

'There is never a dull passage in this book ... Hall manages to retain the intellectual high ground while writing with verve and enthusiasm ' - Frances Spalding, Guardian 'Spirited ... the book's readability and the depth of research give it an engaging pace that makes it especially refreshing' - The Art Newspaper 'Stimulating ... Hall writes with energetic freshness ... a highly engaged book that raises many questions about this intriguing and still-active genre. It deserves to be widely read' - Literary Review 'Enthralling ... Scattering insights on all sides, Hall's narrative advances through the centuries with masterly vigour' - Observer 'Fascinating, erudite and beautifully produced' - Sunday Times 'Wide-ranging, richly researched and evocatively illustrated ... It is as varied, revelatory and idiosyncratic as the genre which it takes as its subject' - The Times

'Wide-ranging, richly researched and evocatively illustrated ... It is as varied, revelatory and idiosyncratic as the genre which it takes as its subject' - The Times 'Fascinating, erudite and beautifully produced' - Sunday Times 'Enthralling ... Scattering insights on all sides, Hall's narrative advances through the centuries with masterly vigour' - Observer 'Stimulating ... Hall writes with energetic freshness ... a highly engaged book that raises many questions about this intriguing and still-active genre. It deserves to be widely read' - Literary Review 'Spirited ... the book's readability and the depth of research give it an engaging pace that makes it especially refreshing' - The Art Newspaper 'There is never a dull passage in this book ... Hall manages to retain the intellectual high ground while writing with verve and enthusiasm ' - Frances Spalding, Guardian

Author Information

James Hall is an art historian, lecturer and broadcaster, and is a visiting research fellow at the University of Southampton. He is the author of four critically acclaimed books, including The World as Sculpture: The Changing Status of Sculpture from the Renaissance to the Present Day and The Sinister Side: How Left-Right Symbolism Shaped Western Art.

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