Dimensions: support: 406 x 368 mm frame: 473 x 437 x 53 mm
Copyright: © Tate | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Rex Whistler's Self-Portrait, currently held at the Tate. There's a theatrical air about it, almost like a stage backdrop. What can you tell me about the social context of this self-representation? Curator: It's fascinating how Whistler constructs his persona. Consider the era – the interwar period. He's consciously crafting an image of the sophisticated artist, referencing historical portraiture while subtly acknowledging the anxieties of a changing world. What do you notice about the architectural element behind him? Editor: It's quite classical, a touch grand. It makes him appear self-assured. Curator: Exactly. It speaks to his ambition and the societal expectations placed upon artists at the time. But, his engagement with class is nuanced, always on the verge of critique. The painting really highlights the performance of identity within specific institutional frameworks. Editor: That’s a compelling point; I see how his self-portrait becomes a statement about the artist's role in society. Curator: Precisely. Art is always in dialogue with its socio-political moment.
Comments
Join the conversation
Join millions of artists and users on Artera today and experience the ultimate creative platform.
Whistler stands with the confident air of an eighteenth-century gentleman. Behind him, to the right, are the twin Boycott Pavilions at Stowe. The artist had referred to these Buckinghamshire gardens in the mural he had made for the Tate Gallery restaurant six years earlier (and still visible downstairs). At the age of twenty-eight Whistler had become a fashionable painter, connected to the set of people known as the Bright Young Things. Whistler produced a number of self-portraits: ‘I find my sitter always most obliging, &, unlike some others, always ready to pose for me when I wish!’. Gallery label, August 2004
CollectMore like this
