Part 1:
There are many types of self-portraits. Some are realistic representations of the artist themself. Others are created in ways to make a statement. And of course, many self-portraits try to convey a mental or psychological reflection. Self-portraits have been around for a long time and we have always viewed them as art regardless of the medium. That is until Photography came around. If you recall, from your textbook, at one time mainstream society wondered if photography should be considered art. We currently find ourselves at a similar juncture with the rise of mobile phones.
Below are 3 groups of articles Id like you to read. Please choose 1 article/link from each group. You dont need to memorize anything; just browse/read for knowledge.
There are 2 parts to this discussion exercise:
Id like you to respond to my prompt. Please make sure you answer my questions in paragraph format and provide in-text citation (APA or MLA). At the end of your paragraph, paste the 3 articles/links that you chose.
After you paste the 3 articles/links, please add a question/prompt for your classmates. It should be a question that is related to the topic to help them engage in a dialog with you.
Teacher’s prompt.
The discourse on whether a selfie is the same as a self-portrait has been raging for several years. Why do you think there is even a discourse? Is it because of the accessibility? Is it because of the possibility that the artist may not have been formally trained (in the traditional sense of art school)? What insights did the articles you read provide? How have the articles informed your response(s) to my questions?
Group A: Essays on Selfies and Self-Portraits
http://www.dw.com/en/the-ego-as-a-work-of-art-from-self-portraits-to-selfies/a-18843991 (Links to an external site.)
http://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/discover/exhibitions/dutch-self-portraits-selfies-of-the-golden-age/ (Links to an external site.)
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/oct/22/beyond-the-selfie-step-away-from-the-smartphone-this-is-what-artists-are-for (Links to an external site.)
https://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/the-philosophy-of-ai-weiwei-from-andy-warhol-and-back-again (Links to an external site.)
http://time.com/4064988/refugee-crisis-selfies/ (Links to an external site.)
https://publichouseofart.com/articles/selfie-vs-self-portrait (Links to an external site.)
https://www.diyphotography.net/6-12-year-self-portrait-project-documents-the-photographers-life-living-a-with-mental-illness/ (Links to an external site.)
Group B: Exhibitions relating to selfies
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/arts/international/old-master-selfies-from-the-peak-of-dutch-painting.html?_r=1 (Links to an external site.)
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/russias-lenin-selfie-trend-323547 (Links to an external site.)
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pulse-scope-fairs-slam-selfie-culture-hello-kitties-neon-signs-376154 (Links to an external site.)
Group C: Other writings, competitions, exhibitions, and events relating to selfies and self-portraits
http://selfiecity.net/# (Links to an external site.)
http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2014/10/04/art-in-the-age-of-instagram/ (Links to an external site.)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-17/richard-prince-instagram-and-authorship-in-a-digital-world (Links to an external site.)
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ways-of-seeing-instagram-37635 (Links to an external site.)
http://blogs.academyart.edu/newspaper/2015/04/selfie_vs_self-port.html (Links to an external site.)
http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2014/06/09/the-un-selfie-taking-back-the-self-portrait/ (Links to an external site.)
http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/stories/self-portrait/ (Links to an external site.)
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2015/jan/02/getty-museum-in-focus-exhibition-birth-middle-class (Links to an external site.)
http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/whats-the-difference-between-a-selfie-and-a-self-portrait/ (Links to an external site.)
Part 2:
Now you have debated the differences and similarities between selfies and self-portraits at length. I am sure you have noticed the line is quite blurred and dependent on your perspective.
For this discussion, Id like you to watch the following 2 TedTalk videos. Then Id like you to post your thoughts on the videos as they relate to the topic of the self-portrait. In this discussion, you need to answer my prompt then post comments to two other students’ posts.
https://ideas.ted.com/the-singular-art-of-the-self-portrait/ (Links to an external site.)
https://www.ted.com/talks/liu_bolin_the_invisible_man (Links to an external site.)
Teacher’s prompt: Why are these considered self-portraits instead of selfies? How much do the physical preparation and conceptual (idea) planning play a role in the audience’s (your) perception of these images? Does the label (self-portrait or selfies) affect our perception of these images? Does the label elevate these into “art”? Who decides what category to put these images in?
Don’t give me yes or no answers. Tell us why you think a certain way and cite your source (because I know your thoughts are informed by what you read, watched, and learned). Your source(s) can be an article, a movie, a book, the news, or a class you took previously.
