Before you are a list of 10 self-portraits of world-famous artists. Some artists have painted many self-portraits, such as Rembrandt and van Gogh, while others hardly paint themselves, and even the paintings shown here are not entirely certain that they are really self-portraits. Today, we will talk about more brilliant masterpieces than self-portraits. Check out this list of Famous Beautiful Self Portraits in The World.
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Vincent van Gogh
“Self-portrait without beard”, 1889
Famous Beautiful Self Portraits- As opposed to Leonardo da Vinci, van Gogh painted many self-portraits of himself. He painted 37 self-portraits between 1886 and 1889, to be exact. Many of those paintings are widely popular with the general public. “Self-portrait without beard” from 1889 is one of those paintings. It’s the last self-portrait van Gogh painted and was given to his mother as a birthday gift. The painting is an oil on canvas, 40 cm × 31 cm (51 in x 12 in).
Diane Arbus – 1923 – 1971
Diane Arbus often depicted ‘marginal’ people, the outsiders of society, sometimes leaving you disturbed as a viewer. She has been called “the photographer of freaks” and looking at the people she portrayed in a way that can be uncomfortable for the viewer, from circus performers to dwarfs, twins, triplets, and transsexuals, you can perhaps understand why. It is said that Diane Arbus’ photo of the Identical Twins inspired film director Stanley Kubrick for the famous ‘twins scene’ in the film the Shining. Have a look at yourself below. What is sure is that Kubrick was a professional photographer himself before venturing into cinematography and it shows in all of his beautiful scenes. Talking about the film: there’s a movie about the life of Diane Arbus played by Nicole Kidman called Fur. But I would recommend browsing her beautiful work.
Loïs Mailou Jones
Though Loïs Mailou Jones is mostly known for her watercolors and oil works, the Boston native made a mark exploring the duality of her identity, particularly in her own self-portrait. Much of her work from the 1930s features portraits of black Americans, part of a larger movement to illustrate the African-American experience while paying homage to African culture through her colors and form.
It wasn’t until 1940 that Jones cast herself as the subject of her own work, connecting her identity to traditional African culture. Though she explored her connection to Africa in much of her work, Jones was 65 when she first visited the continent, nearly 30 years after she produced her famous portrait.
Gustave Courbet – Le Desespere
Le Desepere, aka The Desperate Man, is considered one of the best paintings by Gustave Courbet. You will find it to be on almost every list of best self-portraits. No doubt, it is a testimony to Courbet’s masterful strokes and his command over the art. His skillful use of contrast makes it feel like he would jump out of the canvas at any moment. From the details of his clothes and skin to the exaggerated expression, everything about this painting is brilliant and beautiful.
Experts believe that the artist meant to show his inner anxiety and struggle. Desperate to find his style and make his mark, the young artist feels insecure and uncertain about his future. The description fits because the portrait was created around the time when Courbet was hanging between Romanticism and Realism. Art critics put this piece in the latter category as it reveals the vulnerable reality of the artist.
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Pablo Picasso
90 Years Old (June 28, 1972)
Very few artists have a portfolio as broad as Pablo Picasso does. The artist experimented with different styles over his lifetime and managed to master every one of them. The evolution of his art is apparent in the self-portraits he created every other year. However, one of the most prolific self-portraits he created is part of a series he painted at 90.
This portrait completed on June 28 is the first of four in his last series. While each painting in the series is a masterpiece, this one is the finest example of Picasso’s abstract style he mastered later in his life. What makes it even better is the dread evident in each shape, form, and color in this painting. It may be because Picasso, at the age of 90, was contemplating death. No wonder the series is also called Self-Portrait Facing Death. Only a master can produce such distinctive masterpieces in such a short burst, each depicting a similar dread in vastly different ways.