Tip of the Knife: Tip of the Knife, Issue 17

Self Portraits

How do we look at ourselves?

Do we see our bodies?

What’s under our skin?

In our soul?

Do we see ourselves through our relationships?

And do we fool ourselves about ourselves?

Self portraits have historical significance, lighting up not only the individual but also the age in which he and she live and work. Today we have a different approach, a necessary one, no doubt due to our Glorious Age of High Technology. Our predecessors show us the way with their own technology, their own vision. Here are some examples of well- known self portraits:

Albrect Durer- one of his selfies is titled ecce homo, behold the man. He used a brush with, like, one hair.

Rembrandt- painted himself all through his life with gilded golden halos.

Van Gogh- he, of course, is known for having no ear and painting himself with the most famous bandages in the history of the art world.

Frieda Kahlo- her self portraits are full of “pain and passion”. She says the reason she paints herself is that “she’s the subject she knows the best”.

Linda Benglis- the only artist I know who poses naked with a giant dildo in Artforum.

Jean Michel Basquiat- sees himself with wild dreadlocks, matted from sleeping in parks, disturbed by crude drug fueled madness (that eventually perished him).

So now we break out the tools of our Days: iCloud, tablets, smartphones, Oculus Rift, and we push harder to find ourselves because they make us do it.

They’re them, and you’re a little bit you.

This is me.

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- DRAW BLOOD OR GO HOME -

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CONTRIBUTORS

Alexander Limarev
Amanda Earl
Barry Alpert
David Chirot
Karl Kempton
Sheila Murphy
Julie DiMichele

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Alexander Limarev

FRACTAL SELFIE by Alexander Limarev 2014 Russia

I AM ALIVE by Alexander Limarev 2014 Russia

Amanda Earl

five pieces that are song titles combined with my various painting & collage exercises. these songs & mix of colours represent me, the way i see myself, anyway.