#1 April 16th, 2015 03:52 PM

Aven Frey

Member

Selfie love

Interesting article about stuff we've been doing for many many years!

http://www.spookmagazine.com/in-defence-of-the-selfie/

trevor

Member

Re: Selfie love

Thank you, Aven, for bringing this thoughtful essay to our attention.  I wonder if some of the negative connotations (namely superficiality) would have been attached to the "selfie" if someone hadn't felt the need to make it seem that taking a photograph of oneself was a new big thing.  In fact, self portraiture has been around for centuries and as far as I know was never thought a bad thing, in and of itself.  Well of course, like any portrait, the quality has always depended on the craftsmanship and the artistry.  I myself prefer not to use a new made-up word when a perfectly good one already exists--in this case, "self portrait."  Again, three cheers for "I Shot Myself".

And Aven, I find your photography very beautiful, evocative and compelling.  I just now discovered your ISM folios so have only had a cursory look but look forward to seeing them all as I am able.  Thank you, very much.

Last edited by trevor (April 18th, 2015 12:30 AM)

Aven Frey

Member

Re: Selfie love

Thanks Trevor!

Yeah I was making self portraits of myself for art type purposes long before ISM or FB or MySpace! One of the main reasons was that I was shy and I needed a model that I could boss around and I found I worked really well when I conflated my muse and creative selves. But also I was so sick of seeing so many women as muses and so many men as creatives, there is definitely representational problems that come with that. I really wish that more men would turn the camera on themselves too.

Here are some of my early self portrait making influences...   

Egon Schiele

Frida Kahlo

Andy Wahrhol

Cindy Sherman

Francis Bacon

Mariko Mori

Last edited by Aven Frey (April 20th, 2015 11:16 AM)

trevor

Member

Re: Selfie love

Thank you Aven for the background on your interest in self portraiture.  I would love to see some more of your own work but seeing a few of your favorites was also interesting.  Of the artists you selected, I particularly like Egon Schiele.  Your post also made me reflect further about the history of self portraiture, which I recalled from my past studies of art history and personal observations of works over the centuries.  It occurred to me that surely some historian would have already written a monograph on the subject, which would save me from here expounding on the subject without the assurance that my memory or observations served me well.  So, I did a quick search for books on the subject and found one by a favorite art historian, James Hall, titled, "The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History".  It was published last year almost to the day (22 April 2014) by Thames & Hudson.

Among the great artists, I think my favorite for his self portraits is Rembrandt but be assured that my tastes are quite catholic and I embrace the modern as well (not all, by any means, some I admit to having a visceral dislike of).  Two women artists I love from the impressionist school are Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morrisot, both of whom also produced some lovely self portraits.

Usually the early artists of self portraiture would put themselves in the paintings (or sometimes sculptures) as incidental figures.  Along these lines, in more modern times, amusingly, Alfred Hitchcock always made a quick appearance in each of his films.  For example, in "North by Northwest" he is fleetingly seen unsuccessfully trying to get on a city bus.

So, Aven, when might we expect more of your self portraits?

sondrine

Member

Re: Selfie love

One of my favourite series of self portraits has to be by Lee Price. She paints herself, hyper-realistically, in various settings of her house, indulging in various foods.

This is my favourite one:

I like her work because really highlights the intimacy of self portraiture. My favourite self portraits are always the really raw, unrefined works that leak the truth behind the filtered facade of what one choses to reveal to others. Self portraiture can be the celebration of a unique collection of characteristics that make up a person.

That's what I always like to see in ISM shoots - women embracing themselves wholly, and honestly, and expressively.

Sondrine ~

Aven Frey

Member

Re: Selfie love

Hi Trevor

Sorry I got busy and didn't answer your question! I think I'm going to be submitting a folio fairly soonish actually. I've got an old underwater shoot that's quite interesting but a little unflattering and I might also make something brand new. I haven't turned a camera on my naked self for many years now. It's kinda scary. Thank you for your interest!

trevor

Member

Re: Selfie love

Aven, thank you for letting us know of your intention to contribute another folio--something already in your oeuvre or new works.  Hearing from you induced me to look once more at your ISM folios on line.  They are all lovely and beautiful...and arresting.

You speak of some of your self portraits as being unflattering.  I confess that I myself might find it difficult to save, rather than delete, an unflattering self portrait unless it was in fact a most excellent image: The conflict between the ego in terms of not wanting the viewer to think one homely in opposition to wanting the viewer (especially myself as a viewer) to think one an excellent and honest artist.  Rembrandt's later self portraits might induce me to favour art over vanity but then I lack Rembrandt's skill as a painter (in fact, I have no skill as a painter--just the keen appreciation).  So dear Aven, if you think those "unflattering" self portraits of yours have artistic merit, please don't be shy about sharing them.  And as for a new series, 1) you are still very young and 2) beauty does not diminish with time, rather the individual's experience over time gives that person a patina that makes the portrait more interesting to the viewer; it tells a story that usually is lacking in the youthful portrait.  Of course not every person over 40 or 50...or 90 is interesting nor is every person under 30 uninteresting.  Generalities may be useful in describing a population but applying the generality to an individual person is a prejudice.

Finally, Aven, from your ISM self portraits you show yourself to be a good photographer.  Do you take photographs of others or landscapes or still life images?  If so, how nice it would be for you to share them in the Forum.

Trevor

Last edited by trevor (May 19th, 2015 05:29 PM)

trevor

Member

Re: Selfie love

Dear Aven, I'm glad to see you contributing to the forum again.  Might you tell us what you yourself are up to these days?  I love looking at your past folios and videos and imagine that you are not standing still as an artist. 

Cheers,

Trevor

Aven Frey

Member

Re: Selfie love

Trevor, I just wrote a really long post full of lovely pictures but my picture links aren't working. I'll try again when I have more time, very soon! Thank you for asking, made me feel lovely! x

trevor

Member

Re: Selfie love

Aven, you are lovely, very much so in every way.  Thank you for trying.  Meanwhile, know that your words are equal to your images.