AGING DISPLAYED IN SELF-PORTRAITS OF ARTISTS

A self-portrait is a common representation of an artist with different techniques by that artist and emerged since the 15th century. Albrecht Dürer was one of the first artists who performed various self-portraits during his life. The fascinating aspect from a gerontological point of view is that artists show themselves throughout the aging process as well as sometimes with manifest signs of diseases. The poster show self-portraits over the life course from Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69), Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918), Lovis Corinth (1858-1925), Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946), Edvard Munch (1863-1944), Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), and Max Beckmann (1884-1950).

Malfatti, Anita (1889–1964)

Anita Malfatti began her artistic training with her mother Bety, an American amateur artist. In 1910 she went to Berlin to study with Fritz Bürger, Lovis Corinth, and Ernst Bischoff-Culm. In late 1914 she traveled to New York to attend the Independent School of Art under the direction of Homer Boss. Following her return in 1916 to Brazil, Malfatti held a controversial solo exhibition in 1917, which was criticized harshly by the writer Monteiro Lobato but which received passionate appreciation from modernist intellectuals such as Oswald de Andrade and Marío de Andrade. In 1922 she participated in the Week of Modern Art as the chief representative of Brazilian modern painting. The following year she received a fellowship to study in Paris, where she stayed for five years. Influenced by the classical ideals of the École de Paris, during this time Malfatti transformed her vibrant and colorful technique into a more serene and intellectual style of painting that was not received with much enthusiasm upon her return to Brazil in 1928. She lost the leading role in Brazilian Modernism and decided to dedicate herself to depicting local figures and rural landscapes in a more traditional style. Anita Malfatti is considered a pioneer of Brazilian Modernism.

A traumatikus élmények facilitáló szerepe a művészetben

Traumatic experiences can not only have unfavourable consequences, they can also contribute, with a kind of creative twist, to the development of the person affected by the trauma. The artistic responses to traumas can be examined on the basis of the different types of trauma. This study reports on an investigation focusing on six types of trauma: emotional deprivation/neglect; near-death experience; becoming the victim of violence; war; accident/sickness and emotional frustration. Examples taken from the history of art indicate that works of art can draw attention to the traumatic experiences of the artists with frequently repeated motifs and portrayal techniques (sun, mother image, objects referring to the person lost, motifs of violence or symbols of violence, artistic manifestations of an exaggerated self-image, surreal visions, dry irony, substituting other objects for the beloved person), or a sudden change of style and subject that can express a heightened interest in human suffering (Lovis Corinth). An emphasis placed on self-portrayal can indicate the artist’s increased self-examination, in cases of sickness, or continuous monitoring of the state of mind (Frida Kahlo, Otto Dix, Lovis Corinth, Edvard Munch). In some cases artistic activity can help to work through the trauma (Hans Bellmer, Oskar Kokoschka, Max Ernst, René Magritte), in other cases it is not able to prevent the development of psychological/psychiatric consequences of the trauma (Artemisia Gentileschi, Edvard Munch, Lajos Gulácsy). Traumas can be the sources of motivation and provide themes for works of art; and, although not in all cases, artistic creativity can contribute to effectively working through traumatic experiences. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(17): 668–677.