In today’s discussion, I’ll be analyzing Jason Farago’s New York Times article on the development of self-portraits. He begins by pointing out the common misconception that self-portraits have always been a self-evident form of capturing the self. Instead, he challenges this ingrained claim and instead contends that it was part of a long standing development. In particular, he focuses his discussion on Dürer’s self-portrait (1500). I found particularly interesting the specific visual elements that spoke to the author’s claim of the painting as “supremely arrogant” and with the “unapproachability, of a holy icon.” In consistency with Dondis and McCloud’s discussion on the role lines play in evoking particular emotions, we see similar motifs present that help to convey this tone (ie. powerful strokes, symmetry, intricate details, etc.) Furthermore, I also noticed how Dürer’s progressive series of self portraits over time show a greater direction and confidence. For example, all of the earlier works show side views of himself, whereas the prominent piece shows a “interpellating gaze” and front-on view full of conviction. It is also interesting to see the connection Farago makes with modern day selfies, since those are typically associated with whimsiness and spontaneity – rather than the seriousness and prowess found in the Dürer self portrait.

Outside of the content of article, the graphical design of the presentation was also very powerful and complemented the discussion on Dürer’s self-portrait – with each section of the article zooming in to a specific area of interest. Finally, one lingering question that I had was, what about Dürer’s artistic training or upbringing resulted in his experimentation with self-portraits?