Self-portraiture

[1][2][3] Emerging in Antiquity and becoming popular from the Renaissance as an artistic practice, as a specific field of study, self-portraiture is recent, but it has been expanding rapidly.

Ana Peraica wrote, about self-portraiture today, in view of the prolification of the production of self-portraits, particularly the so-called selfies:[4] Culture of the Selfie is an in-depth art-historical overview of self-portraiture, using a set of theories from visual studies, narratology, media studies, psychotherapy, and political principles.Self-portraiture does not only encompass the visual arts.

[6] Although, when we refer to self-portraiture almost simultaneously, we are remitted to artistic production, however, if we look at the contemporary literature, we will see that the universe of academic studies, mainly, is focused on several disciplines.

In Reynolds & Peter's analysis, the handprints that prehistoric humanity left in cave paintings can be considered precursors of the self-portrait, as they are a direct document of the author's presence in the creative act and his perception of the existence of a "self".

The self-portrait showing the artist's face or entire body appeared much later, with documented examples in Ancient Egypt and Classical Antiquity.

[14] Throughout the Renaissance, with the humanistic valorization of the individual, the interest in personal representation experienced an explosive growth, with particular emphasis on the author himself, both in the visual arts and in literature.

The renowned historian, in 1926, recognizes the painter's face when comparing certain characters present in the work as an unequivocal self-portrait of the artist, and makes an analysis.

[21] Researchers still investigate self-portraits because they unfold many aspects of the artist's personal life and perception of himself and his relationships with his social environment, his peers, his time, culture and history, question artistic language, communication, poetics and style (visual or literary), and intertwine the public and the private.

Life Writing is indeed a broad and multifaceted genre that involves documenting personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions in a variety of forms.

[27][28][29] In its modern conception, Life Writing includes various subgenres such as: Self-portraiture initially emerged as a phenomenon within the History and Theory of art, as mentioned above.

However, its spectrum, that is, its range of characteristics, properties and position, has been rapidly, in recent decades, expanding, spreading and being the subject of several other areas of knowledge,[30] such as: Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy;[31][32] Philosophy;[33][34][35] Social Anthropology;[36] Sociology[37] and others.