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The Self Portrait : An Interesting Genre Of Work

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Both of the women are well known for their self-portraits. The self-portrait is an interesting genre of work. There is a sense of spontaneity. The engagement is greater since the artist has a longer period of time to examine their own face, instead of having limited access. A painter knows their own face the best; in many artists’ work other subjects resemble the artist themselves. Women often portray themselves in their studios at work, evidence of professional accomplishment. Sometimes self-portraits are very truthful since the artist had time to examine every detail of their appearance. On the other hand, artists also can take liberties in creating their image in order to project themselves in a way that they desire. Salesmanship can come into play, even falsehood. Both Labille-Guiard and Kahlo were mostly truthful in their work, but chose carefully what they emphasized in order to best depict themselves in a desired manner.
In Self Portrait with Two Students, painted in 1785, Labille-Guiard presents herself as poised and self-assured engaging in painting, and also as a teacher. This uses the rich palette and fine detail which reflects her earlier training. After the scandal in 1783, she wanted to start a fresh after the slander, but the Academy drastically limited her show casing any of her work. She wanted new prestigious customers, but could only get them if she could show she was capable. Her solution was to put all her energy into making a self-promotion piece. She

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