Exercise 8: Digital Self-Portrait Artists

Andy Warhol
Known for his pop art, Andy Warhol also created self portraits. This work above (1986) was created a year before his death. Using four different photographs of himself, Warhol sets them onto a dense black background, and skews the orientation of the image, creating an unsettling and probably deliberately unbalanced work. The use of contrasting colours and deviating outlines seem to show Warhol as a ghostly apparition. Warhol often referred to himself as "superficial" and in this self-portrait, he seems to have reflected on this particular aspect of his personality.

Tracey Moffat
Moffat is an Australian artist who primarily uses photography and video. Her self portrait (1999) above is a hand coloured photograph of herself with her camera. The result is an unique effect; a digital image that is hand coloured is similar to cell shading. The blocky colouring creates a harmony between digital imaging and hand drawn images. The composition of the image has been clearly planned, using the rule of thirds and shows clear distinction and separation between the background and foreground, defining the focus of the image.

Iz Maglow
Maglow is a German artist that specialises in self portraiture. His works are usually considered to be experimental, or in plain English, weird. The work above (2008) shows himself in a blue and red tone. The artist's statement reads simply "it's my turn". Similar to the self portrait by Andy Warhol, Maglow puts his face on a dense black background, creating an uncomfortable effect. However, in his work he can be seen smiling, although whether this is a smile of happiness or a smile of wickedness we cannot tell. However, the use of contrasting colours suggests that he may have conflicting personalities.