Self-Portraits: The Image of Self as Discourse - Part 1

www.xaxor.com

A self-portrait is defined as “a portrait of an artist produced or created by that artist” by the Oxford Dictionaries. To the amateur, self-taught photographer though, the world of self-portraiture is more than just a “portrait” of themselves. Cristina Nuñez argues in her article, “The self-portrait: a powerful tool for self-therapy,” that anyone, whether they consider themselves a professional artist or not, can and should take photographs of themselves. Nuñez lays out the doctrines for her own teachings, encouraging others to take self-portraits for their therapeutic value, and to explore the realms of the inner self. She herself takes her own portraits in order to boost her self-esteem and help her discover the creativity within herself. She argues that in taking a portrait of oneself, the subject, photographer, and spectator occur in one individual, allowing a glimpse of vulnerability in the creator that is also framed to the bias of the subject. I will be extrapolating on Nuñez’ article to examine other self-portraits taken by Katie West, an amateur Canadian photographer, Cristina Nuñez herself, and other amateur photographers throughout blogging and “flickr-ing” on the internet in an attempt to display the discursive powers of recognition and vulnerability in self-photography. I hope to show how each photographer is able to incorporate the epitome of “self” into their photographs in order to improve themselves and to help others do the same.

            In her article, Cristina Nuñez emphasizes the “innate determination” within each person to recognize themselves as human, and to become aware of who they truly are. She relates this innate sense to the human condition as a whole, noting that photography “has a special relationship with time…all within a single harmonious configuration of visual and formal elements” (Nunez, 2009). Particularly in self-portraiture, Nuñez argues that the image “speaks the voice of the unconscious… something essential to be said…” portraying the image as a window into the deepest realms of a person’s inner self. In teaching others to take self-portraits as she explored in doing herself, Nuñez claims that we must all connect our mind and our “gut,” which she refers to as “an inexhaustible source of meanings which must be expressed.” She refers to Anthony Bond’s theory on self-portraiture, explaining that “through the act of looking, the self-portraitist acquires a triple identity: author, subject and spectator at one and the same time, and it is this that gives the self-portrait its communicative power” (Bond & Woodall, 2005, 12, qtd from Nunez, 2009). In other words, the subject has total control over the perception and framing of an image, allowing for a deep level of intimacy and vulnerability within the picture. Nuñez elaborates further on this idea, claiming this makes the self-portrait an especially powerful way of expressing the inner self and that “by objectifying ‘the dark side’ in a photograph, we separate ourselves from what we dislike and open up a space for catharsis or renewal” (Nuñez, 2009). This idea of the expression of internal, powerful emotion is akin to Barthes’ concept of the “punctum,” which he describes as “that accident which pricks me (but also bruises me, is poignant to me)” (Barthes 27); the “gut” and punctum both represent the aspects of the photograph which traumatize the spectator: it is that single element of a photograph through which a message is truly grounded into reality and from which the inspirational nature of an image stems, even if only to the self-portraitist. This process of discovery and recognition is clearly stated to be therapeutic and beneficial to the psyche, in both the mentally ill and the not. The combination of perception, questioning, and judgment of ourselves is what allows room for self-improvement as well as connection with other human beings on a transcendent level (Nuñez 2009).

            In a portrait we take of ourselves, we can be anything that we choose. With the ease of technology available to the general public today, any person can become an artist, as Nuñez suggests. The trend has taken up popularity, especially across the internet community where the expression and discovery of young adults and other age groups is a common theme. The classic "selfie" where self-portraits are taken to be sent to other friends or posted on social networking sites. These have become infamous as the most prominent form of self-portraiture; however, I will be focusing on a more formal setting of self-portraiture, while still keeping most of the photographs that I select from amateur photographers. My aim is not to display self-portraiture as art, but rather as an intimate experience which in itself becomes a statement. 

Suzy Wimbourne - 8/365

            Suzy Wimbourne, pictured here, was participating in a 365 day photo challenge in which she took a self-portrait every day for one year. This particular photograph was taken on the eighth day of her challenge, depicting Suzy with a greenish tint which she reveals to be eye shadow. The image is edited to have a very whimsical nature, which is reflected in the comments which Suzy writes below the image: 

“Me and Aaron are going on a date tonight, I think it might only been our third or fourth date in 7 months! But we see each other every day so it doesn’t matter :)” (http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzypuzz/).

In this case, we see a modification of Suzy’s image, made and framed by her to reflect a version of herself excited and full of hope. Her femininity is strongly reflected in her make-up and posture, all of which comment on the ways in which she wanted to be pictured.