Umeå universitets logga

  The purpose of this study is to analyze six portraits and self-portraits from the 1980s and early 1990s using semiotics as a method, based on portrait history and reception theory. Basically, a portrait is an image that depicts a person, and a self-portrait can simply be described as an artist's own depiction of himself.Questions asked in this study include:

• How can the artworks be described by interpreting signs and symbols?
• How can the artworks be interpreted through comparative analysis?
• How does portrait history influence the interpretation of the works today?

The analysis is done in two stages. The primary analysis provides an overview of the motifs' essential parts and materials. A semiotic analysis of the works is carried out to describe the work of art and what it signals. Through semiotics, the study of signs and symbols in the work, not only is what is depicted analyzed, but also how these communicate with the viewer.As part of the secondary analysis, a comparative examination is presented that identifies specific features and qualities to be able to reason about the common characteristics of the artworks. The portraits and self-portraits in this study both challenge and adhere to traditional styles through their content and form, using experimental techniques to capture their subjects, sometimes in opposition to mimesis (likeness), and sometimes with a focus on pure physical likeness.In portraiture, the focus had initially been on the face, which was considered to convey identity. In recent times there has been a shift towards the body and thus also sexuality and gender issues. Portraits could be seen in an increasing number of media and had many different purposes. Unlike other art, portraits were close to psychological issues. The art of self-portraiture developed through the interest in the self and the 20th century interest in identity and with the emergence of the development of psychoanalysis. It became an important source for exploring issues around gender and sexuality as well as issues around motifs of ethnicity.