In this book, the painters turn that perceptiveness upon themselves. The paintings are intimate, autobiographical, confessional, and give an unparalleled, sometimes painful, glimpse into the artists’ lives. The periods of self-doubt,struggles to master their art, delusions of grandeur, even moments of madness are here --informed by every style and movement in painting from the Renaissance to Cubism,Surrealism and beyond -- schools that the artists included often pioneered. Austrian Egon Schiele’s self-portrait, for example, reveals a man naked, grimacing, hands wound behind his back -- perhaps in pain. Schiele was an Expressionist,his use of harsh colors and erratic lines was as intrinsic to his craft as his state of mind. An ink drawing by the youthful Aubrey Beardsley reveals a young man in the early stages of tuberculosis, dissolute and in decline...

Great artists are renowned for their perceptiveness -- their ability to capture on canvas or paper the flavour of the era during which they worked. Whether it be the philosophies, the politics, the cultural influences, the landscapes, or the people within their societies, the artist’s visions allow the viewer access to particular places and times in history.

In this book, the painters turn that perceptiveness upon themselves. The paintings are intimate, autobiographical, confessional, and give an unparalleled, sometimes painful, glimpse into the artists’ lives. The periods of self-doubt,struggles to master their art, delusions of grandeur, even moments of madness are here --informed by every style and movement in painting from the Renaissance to Cubism,Surrealism and beyond -- schools that the artists included often pioneered. Austrian Egon Schiele’s self-portrait, for example, reveals a man naked, grimacing, hands wound behind his back -- perhaps in pain. Schiele was an Expressionist,his use of harsh colors and erratic lines was as intrinsic to his craft as his state of mind. An ink drawing by the youthful Aubrey Beardsley reveals a young man in the early stages of tuberculosis, dissolute and in decline. Others are more gentle -- Frederic Bazille has painted himself relaxing with his family in a garden setting. Each painting reveals something of the character and spirit of the artist.

In an insightful introduction, author,Elizabeth Drury, a graduate of the Courtauld Institute of Art, London University, explores the significance of self-portraiture. Each picture has also been captioned to narrate the events leading to its production. This superbly printed full-color book presents a generous selection of the best, most talented artists throughout history.

INTRODUCTION

THE WORKS OF ART

Aachen- Appiani

Baciccio-Bryullov

Cairo-Cuyp

Dali-van Dyck

Eakins van Eyck

Fantin-Latour-Fuseli

Gainsborough-Gysbrechts

Habsburg-Hunt

Ingres-Jordaens

Kauffmann-Kustodiev

Largilliere-Lombard

Malevich-Murillo

Nanteuil-Orrente

Pagani-Procaccini

Rackham-Rubens

Salimbeni-Sweerts

Tatlin-Tytler

Underwood-Vouet

Waldmuller-Zoffany

Credits

Further-Reading

List of Artists