The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History

New York: Thames & Hudson, 2015. 288 pages, illustrations (chiefly colour); 23 cm. Tight, clean copy. First paperback edition. "In this broad cultural survey, art historian and critic James Hall brilliantly maps the history of self-portraiture, from the earliest myths of Narcissus to the prolific self-image-making of contemporary artists. His intelligent and 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, Durer, 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." - Publisher. CONTENTS: Introduction; Prelude: Self-Portraiture in Antiquity; 1. Medieval Origins; 2. A Craze for Mirrors; 3. The Artist in Society; 4. The Renaissance Artist as Hero; 5. Mock-Heroic Self-Portraits; 6. The Artist's Studio; 7. At the Crossroads; 8. Coming Home: into the Nineteenth Century; 9. Sex and Genius; 10. Beyond the Face: Modern and Contemporary Self-Portraits; Notes; Selected Bibliography; Acknowledgments; Picture Credits; Index.. 1st. Paperback. Fine. 8vo.