The Self-Portrait: A Cultural History
“Think selfies are a new phenomenon? Think again. In Hall’s cultural history of self-portraiture, you’ll find everyone from Michelangelo to Titian to Cindy Sherman.” (Entertainment Weekly)“[A] splendidly written and valuable study of one of the most psychologically revealing genres in art history.” (Gallery & Studio)“Knowing why artists like Rembrandt and Courbet [created self-portraits] is at the heart of art historian James Hall’s book. . . . Hall’s writing is not only accessible for a general audience, but filled with notable insights, including spicy, prurient ones.” (The Daily Beast)“James Hall’s brilliant book . . . traces the evolution and aesthetic development of the form, from Flemish painter Jan van Eyck to Diego Velázquez’s ‘Las Meninas.’” (Al Jazeera America)“The variety of expression on display here is amazing. . . . Hall carefully unpacks the portraits . . . with anecdotes and histories that bring a new understanding to a vital part of artistic endeavor.” (The Commercial Dispatch)“Hall shows that the creation of self-portraits is a deep-rooted aspect of the creative impulse.” (Art Eyewitness)“Art historian James Hall examines the genre of self-portraiture from the Middle Ages to the present, contextualizing the tradition in relation to the cultural climate of its time. This clear, well-researched book is an exceptional choice for everyone from the general reader to the expert in art history.” (Library Journal)“A lovely object in itself. . . . The text is informative and accessible.” (Portland Book Review)“Features major artists, mostly European, exhibiting themselves in a variety of modes, mostly pictorial, all complemented by effective, descriptive passages in well-wrought prose. . . . Recommended.” (Choice)“James Hall provides a lively cultural interpretation of the genre from the Middle Ages to today. But rather than provide a series of ‘greatest hits,’ he is more concerned with the reasons why artists create self-portraits.” (The Weekly Standard)