WHO AM I?

PORTRAITS AND IDENTITY

IDENTITY

Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves. It’s who we are.

Many aspects of a person’s identity can change throughout his or her life.

Many artists use their work to express, explore, and question ideas about identity.

One way they do this is by making self portraits. Long before selfies, artists used self portraits as a declaration of their identity. It was a way to explore their sense of self.

Today we will look at two artists who make very different kinds of self portraits..

FRIDA KAHLO

Frida Kahlo put many symbolic creatures and objects in her paintings. Her pet monkey, her cat, a necklace of thorns, birds, butterflies and

dragonflies and the plants of her home.

She was not painting a realistic scene but using these symbolic elements to express her

feelings.

Frida spent much of her life in pain, after an accident when she was young. Some of the

elements in the portrait express her suffering.

She used ideas about things that had happened to her and incorporated them into

her portraits.

In this self portrait called Fulang-Chang and I, Frida Kahlo painted herself wearing traditional Mexican clothing, surrounded by native plants to show her pride in her country. She also included her pet monkey—connected to her by a pink ribbon—perhaps showing her love for him.

When Kahlo gave the painting to her friend Mary Sklar, she added a mirror to be hung next to it, so that when her friend looked in the mirror they would be together—her face and Mary’s reflection—even when they were physically apart.

CINDY SHERMAN

Cindy Sherman creates photographs of herself dressed as different characters.

She’s has appeared in hundreds of her own photographs as characters like clowns, silent film stars, people from historical paintings, made up film scenes and lots more.

She is both in front of and behind the camera, acting as model, makeup artist, stylist, and photographer.

She said, “I wish I could treat everyday as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.”

Through her large scale photographs she makes us think about celebrity culture, and ideas around beauty.

She challenges what we think is normal, and encourages us to question how we

see the world.

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SELF PORTRAIT ACTIVITIES INSPIRED BY THESE ARTISTS AND POST YOUR ARTWORK ON SEESAW OR GOOGLE CLASSROOM

ACTIVITY ONEMAKE A PORTRAIT EXPLORING WHO YOU ARE, INSPIRED BY FRIDA KAHLO’S WORK

YOU WILL NEED:

* Writing pen or pencil

* Paper or book to write in

* Sheet of paper or your art diary to draw or paint on

* Paint or coloured pencils or textas, or whatever you would like to draw with.

* Paint brush and water if you are using paint.

STEP 1. Think about your identity. How you would like to be seen by the world? What have you experienced in your life that has shaped you?

STEP 2. Write down three words that describe something important to you, that makes you who you are? It might be a pet, or the landscape where you live, It could be an activity you love or even some sadness in your life.

STEP 3. Think of a few objects or symbols that might represent these ideas

STEP 4. Draw or paint a portrait of yourself. What will you include that shows who you are?

STEP 5. Write a short paragraph explaining the symbolism in your portrait. What do the things you have included in your portrait say about you

ACTIVITY TWOTAKE A SELF PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPH IN CHARACTER, INSPIRED BY CINDY SHERMAN’S WORK

YOU WILL NEED:

* Writing pen or pencil

* Paper or book to write in

* Clothes and props from around the house

* A device to take a photo

STEP 1. Develop your character. Think about a character from a story, movie, TV show…or a person you know, or someone from you imagination.

STEP 2. Write a few sentences about your character. What is the person’s name, occupation, and personal history?

STEP 3. Look around your house and find clothes and props that will transform you into that character.

STEP 4. Choose a setting or location where you imagine your character in action. You may even like to set up or make elements of you background. Imagine the story taking place.

STEP 5. Write down another few sentences to your character profile outlining the scene your character is in. What happened just before the scene you’ve imagined and what happened just after? What would your character be feeling? What facial expression would they have?

STEP 6. When you have all the elements of you character and story sorted out, take some time to practice in front of the mirror. Experiment with poses and facial

expressions that make sense to your story.

STEP 7. When you are ready take a photo of yourself. You could use a self timer or ask your parents or brothers or sisters to help. Take a few photos with different poses and expressions. Put the photos together with your writing. Do they work together? What do the photos reveal about your character?

Don’t forget to post your work or email your it to your teachers

Have fun!