18th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
Objectifying the Self: The Self-Portrait in Baroque Rome
Jasmine R. Fry
Dr. Julia DeLancey and Dr. Sara Orel, Faculty Mentors
Italian artists first began producing self-portraits during the Renaissance. In seventeenth-century Rome, Artemisia Gentileschi and Caravaggio each distinctly approached the genre from their Renaissance predecessors. The two painters developed and manipulated self-portraiture in order to present a variety of issues rather than to simply preserve their physical image. By juxtaposing their approaches, this paper demonstrates how two artists in close proximity utilized self-portraiture as a means of communication. This presentation of self as both subject and object provided the opportunity for the artists to commentate on issues of historical, moral, and artistic worth. The practice of self-rendering presents problems concerning identity and self-awareness, and the intent of the artists. Through an interdisciplinary approach, a more thorough discourse on the topic can be achieved. By evaluating the differences of Gentileschi’s and Caravaggio’s self-portraits, this paper will demonstrate the newfound functions of self-portraits by early seventeenth-century artists working in Rome.
Keywords: Art History, Italy, Self-Portraits, Baroque, Caravaggio, Gentileschi, Painting
Topic(s):Art History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 31-3
Location: OP 2210
Time: 2:45