5 Most Famous Self Portraits Ever Painted In The World

The selfie rage might be the thing for the new generation, but having pictures of yourself is by no means a new thing. From ancient Egypt to the renaissance, self-portraits have been painted and attempted by artists at various stages of their career. All this said, the concept of the self-portrait actually became a rage during the 15th century and since then, artists ranging from amateurs to classical masters have painted them in various styles and to various degrees of accuracy. Considering that even the struggling artist and later dictator Adolf Hitler painted a self-portrait, it is safe to say that capturing one’s own essence is by no means a new phenomenon.

All this said, it is an undeniable truth that some self-portraits are placed above the rest. This can be for whatever the reason, the painter’s own fame, the authenticity of the portrait or the style that was used to capture the model.

* Frieda Kahlo

Leaving the world of medicine for the world of art at the age of seventeen, Frieda Kahlo has definitely left her mark in her field. She has painted many self-portraits of herself at various points in her life and each of them is artistically beautiful and emotionally inviting to the audience. But perhaps, one of her most well-known paintings is Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. As with most of her famous paintings, they incorporate images that bring forth psychological, and physiological sense of pain. The determination and pain that have characterised her life through accidents and divorces are evident parts of her paintings.

* Vincent Van Gogh

Having painted over 30 self-portraits throughout his career, Vincent Van Gogh has a collection of self-portraits that are recognised as unique, individual and definitely a part of the creme de la creme of the artistic world. The portrait above, Self- Portrait with Bandaged Ear is one of the two portraits he has done after cutting off his right ear, which appears to be the left in the painting since he used a mirror. This painting bags this list not only for the uniqueness of it but because of the story that exists behind it.

* Rembrandt

Rembrandt has painted many portraits of himself, but perhaps the most famous is that of Self-Portrait with Beret and Turned Up Corner. It is considered to be his most famous self-portrait in that it is iconic for showing his age on his face. Self-portraits by Rembrandt are much more interesting pieces to study when it comes to light that he often asked his students to copy his self-portraits as a form of practice from them developing their own style.

* Andy Warhol

Known for his four colour prints, Andy Warhol is considered to be one of the greatest artists in the era of pop-art. The popular green, red, blue, yellow combination of print pictures seen today can be credited to him. He has done his own self-portrait as a part of this series as well as parts of other works. But it should be noted that his self-portrait in four colours is one of his most famous works.

* David Hockney

Known for the harsh reality that he shows in his self-portraits, David Hockney has created many self-portraits that reflect who he is as a person when the portrait is being painted. None of these portraits show any efforts of therapists intentionally posing for it nor is there any flair of idealising any aspect. Often as a collage of various materials or something painted when the artist was looking at a mirror, the paintings are meant to showcase his observations of candid moments and all the awkwardness that comes with them.