Sofonisba Anguissola was : influence on self-portraiture, and her displacement

PM Coc wha cont ihsc Ue Gcme TINY : of traditional notions of the
known for her self-portraits. She : female figure, have broadened
was extremely famous during her : the fields of performance and
lifetime. Even though women : art, while also allowing women
were not allowed to study figure —_: today to ‘seize the gaze.” Artists
drawing, Sofonisba mastered the : like Sherman open the door for

human form and portrait through +: women to represent themselves
self-examination. She painted into : creatively and subversively.

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Sofonisba Anguissola/wikipedia

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her old age, rendering herselfas : Similarly, contemporary artist
— an elderly woman. Each image Tomoko Sawada explores
_ is an empowering depiction of : gender, culture, and identity
herself the through
way that she

wanted to performative photography. Like
Sherman, her self-portraits
employ costuming to challenge
the boundaries of identity;
however, Sawada’s work explores
Japanese stereotypes.

In 2015, we see artists
eTpLaelaIDeactoel eV Rees TOOL Rea a
via selfies and self-portraiture.
For example, Courtney Demone
of British Columbia takes self-
portraits/selfies topless and posts
them on Instagram with the

pase

In the 18th century in France,
Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
also created images of herself
as an artist. After her father
died when she was still young,
she supported her family as a
painter. During her adult life, she
painted several portraits of Marie
Antoinette as a devout mother
to improve her public image. It
was only fitting that she would

   

Louise Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun /wikipedia

be commissioned for this kind 7. yee hashtag #DolHaveBoobsNow.
of work given her many self- adil She documents her body while
portraits that depicted herself as she takes hormone replacement
a mother and a painter. therapy, waiting for the day

Even if you don’t buy that i) that social media sites begin to
18th Century self-portraits are censor her body as her breasts
selfies, you may have a harder E develop. This interesting art
time denying the selfieness of project challenges the policing
Francesca Woodman’s haunting film photography. : of women’s (especially trans-women’s) bodies. Other
Francesca Woodman was a young artist who took : trans-women and non-binary people have also begun
hundreds of images of herself with a film camera before to share selfies with the hashtag #Dol HaveBoobsNow,
committing suicide at the age of 22. The images areso _; creating an incredible archive

creepy, honest, and depressing that one might feel she: of images of femme trans folks
FESR ie ojo oUN MeN Case CMOyMUDL Rte nex al CoML ecLUe dba oO SL annem Lb osRe me CIES Core

   

   

real. Don't :; These images reclaim the
kid yourself. : patriarchal representation of
Francesca PKL eres ok key [Laas

MCURaUi elute | (oLv (eR-Mp)Key (came Con eb IMEC A Lo
these images : started without the invention

Courtney Demone/mashable

jletsiarclm cole of front-facing cameras and the

andI curate : “narcissistic” rise of the selfie?

our Instagram : Maybe not.

itare la : Mass self-portraiture is an
Gratayy : act of community building and

Shermanisa : radical self love. As a woman,
photographer : it is incredibly encouraging to
who has taken : be reminded that other women

Francesca Woodman/the fohUrenenr-vey

hundreds everywhere are taking ownership over their bodies
of images : through simple image making every day. Images of
lms : women by women can't be anything less than a feminist

disguised as various female stereotypes and caricatures. ! act because they subvert The Gaze. Selfies are a modern
Feminist scholar Ashley Farmer said: “Sherman’s : feminist movement.