Diann Haist

The Challenge of the Self-Portrait

By Diann Haist on 4/17/2008 12:14:32 AM 5 Comments

Diann Haist on photo-shoot at Iditarod

There comes a time in every artist's life when the inevitable
self-portrait needs doing. Through the ages, before cameras, this was
done as a matter of course, either to provide an easy model to practice
on, or to chronicle for future generations just what the author of the
portrait looked like. Rembrandt's and Van Gogh's self-portraits are
numerous, and without them we would be forever in mystery as to their
personal makeup, not to mention what kind of hats they wore. With the
advent of cameras, especially digital as well as the video medium,
candid shots and formal portraits of the artist are being taken quite
frequently.

So why would a modern artist paint a self-portrait? An available model one doesn't need to pay for sure, but today's artist can be more
allegorical, painting a visage which defines him or her from a more
spiritual standpoint. How one sees oneself as opposed to just what is
in the mirror. This subject came up recently during a weekly painting
session with a fellow artist friend who has done a self-portrait which
has the feel of a 16th century fresco; the muted colours, some use of
symbolism, the composition is daring, and he looks like Renaissance Man
- interesting in that this is how I have always thought of this
wonderful artist - an aesthete in all areas of his life. His
self-portrait tells me more about him than a simple 'mug-shot', and
certainly more than any photograph we have seen of him. One day, with
his permission, we will post his painting here.

Well, this same artist friend challenged me to do a self-portrait too, which
I have done, and while doing it, realized that I have now created
three, ten or twenty years separating them. Rembrandt did one every
ten years or so, and we can see how he aged. I think it's a good
exercise for self as well as posterity.

The first in my personal series of three was created in 1978. I was
painting a lot of birds at the time, they just seemed to show up in
most of my paintings, not as subjects themselves, but just there
somewhere. When I realized this, I saw myself as a 'feather-head' and
created this image with my hair made up of birds. The title fittingly
is "Featherhead' and is acrylic on an 18" x 24" wood panel.

In 1998, I was sitting at my desk doodling with conte crayon and
charcoal in a large lovely new sketchpad. On the wall in front of me
was a mirror, so a sketch of myself was a handy thing to do, not for a
moment thinking of doing a formal self-portrait. I was un-posed and
comfortable drawing what was in front of me.

My latest humble self-portrait, painted 15 April 2008, I have chosen to call
"That Which Defines me - Kind Of". This is oil on 16" x 20" panel. It was quite an exercise working
out the allegory for this one, the defineing story - just what do I do
which defines most who I am? I paint! Of course there are other
things as well, which will perhaps be my subject for the next
self-portrait. Hopefully before another ten or twenty years have
passed. My face isn't really quite this round....:)