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(A Face to the World) [By: Cumming, Laura] [Sep, 2010]
Focusing on the art of self-portraiture, this effortlessly engaging exploration of the lives of artists sheds fascinating light on some of the most extraordinary portraits in art history. Self-portraits catch your eye. They seem to do it deliberately. Walk into any art gallery and they draw attention to themselves. Come across them in the world's museums and you get a strange shock of recognition, rather like glimpsing your own reflection. For in picturing themselves artists reveal something far deeper than their own physical looks: the truth about how they hope to be viewed by the world, and how they wish to see themselves. In this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book, Laura Cumming, art critic of the Observer, investigates the drama of the self-portrait, from Durer, Rembrandt and Velazquez to Munch, Picasso, Warhol and the present day. She considers how and why self-portraits look as they do and what they reveal about the artist's innermost sense of self -- as well as the curious ways in which they may imitate our behaviour in real life. Drawing on art, literature, history, philosophy and biography to examine the creative process in an entirely fresh way, Cumming offers a riveting insight into the intimate truths and elaborate fictions of self-portraiture and the lives of those who practise it. A work of remarkable depth, scope and power, this is a book for anyone who has ever wondered about the strange dichotomy between the innermost self and the self we choose to present for posterity -- our face to the world.
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First published June 25, 2009
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About the author
Laura Cumming
7 books201 followersLaura Cumming (born July 1961) the art critic for The Observer. In addition to her career in journalism, Cumming has written well-received books on self-portraits in art and the discovery of a lost portrait by Diego Velázquez in 1845.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 26, 2018
Gorgeously written! Although I only needed the chapters focusing on particular self-portraits and artists, I ended up reading the entire book: it reads like a really good historical novel!
April 24, 2010
Far More than an Important Art History Book: A Brilliant Historical Novel!,
Laura Cumming, in addition to being the art critic of the distinguished British journal The Observer, is a learned communicator and extraordinary writer. Given that she has been influential in the grace of productions offered by the Tate Museum while at the same time being able to be arts producer and presenter for BBC, she comes by her depth of knowledge about the visual arts naturally - and at the same time communicates in a tone not dissimilar to that of Alistair Cooke of Masterpiece Theater fame. All of these assets she bestows on the reader of this amazingly original book, A FACE TO THE WORLD: ON SELF-PORTRAITS.
Not content to simply list the artists of history and of now who shared their own perceptions of themselves with self-portraits, Cumming instead includes the vision, in her words, ' For all a self-portrait can ever be is the illusion of the artist's self. It can never be a substitute, an embodiment, the last word or the whole summation, and yet the artist paints, even as he doubts, uncertain whether anything of himself will ever get through......Now I am here - and yet I am not.' Her dialogue with the reader is infectious as she explores famous as well as not so famous artists who deigned to leave us 'self-portraits' - the ultimate evidence of vulnerability.
Cumming divides her book into chapters of ideas rather than episodes delivered chronologically. The names of her chapters describe the contents of each well: Secrets; Eyes; Dürer (whose image serves as the cover of this book); Motive, Means and Opportunity; Rembrandt; Behind the Scenes; Velásquez; Mirrors; Performance; Stage Fright; Loners; Egotists; Victims; Pioneers; Falling Apart; and Farewells. Each of these chapter designations describes the approaches of the many painters she 'exposes' with both love and erudition and humor. After her extensive survey through the self-portraits of many artists she arrives at the 21st century ' Twentieth-century doubts about self-portraiture spill into this century too, doubts about the possibility of ever depicting oneself. The assertion 'This Is Me' does not work any of for many artists, and since we like to think of ourselves as complex and fragmented, not susceptible to concise description, unable to be pinned down, it is hardly surprising that is the way the modern self-portraitists show themselves too, from Francis Bacon's swerving body parts to Chuck Close's walls of pixels and Maurizio Cattelan's thousands of little sperm each with the artist's own, but always fractionally different, visage. Mass self-portraiture, serial self-portraiture, partial self-portraiture - it is safer that way, for there never has to be a limiting finality. There can be no last word because one never gets to the end of one's self.'
Laura Cumming is a modern phenomenon and the reader of this book will gain more very comfortable information about art than with almost any other book. Highly Recommended!
Grady Harp
Laura Cumming, in addition to being the art critic of the distinguished British journal The Observer, is a learned communicator and extraordinary writer. Given that she has been influential in the grace of productions offered by the Tate Museum while at the same time being able to be arts producer and presenter for BBC, she comes by her depth of knowledge about the visual arts naturally - and at the same time communicates in a tone not dissimilar to that of Alistair Cooke of Masterpiece Theater fame. All of these assets she bestows on the reader of this amazingly original book, A FACE TO THE WORLD: ON SELF-PORTRAITS.
Not content to simply list the artists of history and of now who shared their own perceptions of themselves with self-portraits, Cumming instead includes the vision, in her words, ' For all a self-portrait can ever be is the illusion of the artist's self. It can never be a substitute, an embodiment, the last word or the whole summation, and yet the artist paints, even as he doubts, uncertain whether anything of himself will ever get through......Now I am here - and yet I am not.' Her dialogue with the reader is infectious as she explores famous as well as not so famous artists who deigned to leave us 'self-portraits' - the ultimate evidence of vulnerability.
Cumming divides her book into chapters of ideas rather than episodes delivered chronologically. The names of her chapters describe the contents of each well: Secrets; Eyes; Dürer (whose image serves as the cover of this book); Motive, Means and Opportunity; Rembrandt; Behind the Scenes; Velásquez; Mirrors; Performance; Stage Fright; Loners; Egotists; Victims; Pioneers; Falling Apart; and Farewells. Each of these chapter designations describes the approaches of the many painters she 'exposes' with both love and erudition and humor. After her extensive survey through the self-portraits of many artists she arrives at the 21st century ' Twentieth-century doubts about self-portraiture spill into this century too, doubts about the possibility of ever depicting oneself. The assertion 'This Is Me' does not work any of for many artists, and since we like to think of ourselves as complex and fragmented, not susceptible to concise description, unable to be pinned down, it is hardly surprising that is the way the modern self-portraitists show themselves too, from Francis Bacon's swerving body parts to Chuck Close's walls of pixels and Maurizio Cattelan's thousands of little sperm each with the artist's own, but always fractionally different, visage. Mass self-portraiture, serial self-portraiture, partial self-portraiture - it is safer that way, for there never has to be a limiting finality. There can be no last word because one never gets to the end of one's self.'
Laura Cumming is a modern phenomenon and the reader of this book will gain more very comfortable information about art than with almost any other book. Highly Recommended!
Grady Harp
July 24, 2022
Wat is een zelfportret? Wat wil de kunstenaar ons tonen, of belangrijker nog: wie wil de kunstenaar ons tonen? Over dit onderwerp gaat dit interessante boek van Laura Cumming. Het is een tijdreis beginnend van bvb de verborgen zelfportretten van Jan Van Eyck in zijn schilderijen, of die van Michelangelo, tot de hedendaagse kunstenaars zoals Cindy Sherman die met hun zelfportretten statements maken.
Maar dit boek is zoveel meer dan dat. Er staan enorm veel illustraties in dit boek, je kijkt naar het portret en denkt dat je toch wel één en ander ziet. Daarna lees je de tekst van Cumming en ineens zie je zoveel meer, kleine details, symboliek, schilderijen in schilderijen, ... dingen die je als leek vaak over het hoofd ziet.
Ook is er bij de verschillende hoofdstukken en getoonde zelfportretten een reflexie over wat de schilder ons nu wil tonen: is het zijn zelfvertrouwen, het geloof in zijn kunnen of is het net zijn twijfel of zijn verval. Hoe ziet hij zichzelf en hoe toont hij zijn gezicht aan de wereld? Welke schildertechniek zal hij gebruiken? Die schildertechniek waarvoor hij gekend is, of keert hij zich hier naar het portretschilderen?
Dit boek is dus razend interessant! Waarom dan toch geen 5***** - het ontbreken van die 5e ster is een zelfbeschuldiging, sommige dingen ontsnapten me omdat ik niet genoeg kennis terzake bezit. Ik heb wel veel bijgeleerd, ook nieuwe kunstenaars ontdekt die me onmiddellijk boeiden. Aanrader dus
#dürerhadmijkunnenkrijgen600jaargeleden
Maar dit boek is zoveel meer dan dat. Er staan enorm veel illustraties in dit boek, je kijkt naar het portret en denkt dat je toch wel één en ander ziet. Daarna lees je de tekst van Cumming en ineens zie je zoveel meer, kleine details, symboliek, schilderijen in schilderijen, ... dingen die je als leek vaak over het hoofd ziet.
Ook is er bij de verschillende hoofdstukken en getoonde zelfportretten een reflexie over wat de schilder ons nu wil tonen: is het zijn zelfvertrouwen, het geloof in zijn kunnen of is het net zijn twijfel of zijn verval. Hoe ziet hij zichzelf en hoe toont hij zijn gezicht aan de wereld? Welke schildertechniek zal hij gebruiken? Die schildertechniek waarvoor hij gekend is, of keert hij zich hier naar het portretschilderen?
Dit boek is dus razend interessant! Waarom dan toch geen 5***** - het ontbreken van die 5e ster is een zelfbeschuldiging, sommige dingen ontsnapten me omdat ik niet genoeg kennis terzake bezit. Ik heb wel veel bijgeleerd, ook nieuwe kunstenaars ontdekt die me onmiddellijk boeiden. Aanrader dus
#dürerhadmijkunnenkrijgen600jaargeleden
February 10, 2020
3 1/2 stars.
A bit of a mixed bag, but I did enjoy "A Face to the World" and felt I learned quite a bit--to some extent about the artists, but also about the nature of art criticism.
Ms. Cumming's prose suffers to some degree from the kind of overwriting and preciousness that infects the captions at museum exhibitions, but it was interesting to look at the artists' pictures of themselves from such an educated point of view. Ms. Cummings examines self-portraits from their earliest appearances to contemporary examples. Her point of view is distinctly personal; you will not doubt what she thinks of Courbet, for example!
I thought the reproductions of the paintings under discussion could have been much clearer and posted more closely to the text which discusses them. Some of them are printed on a pages colored a sort of light taupe which does nothing to improve their clarity for at least this reader.
I was very pleased to see the women artists included, especially Sophonisba Anguissola, a favorite, and a remarkable woman, whose oeuvre was attributed after her death to male artists. Her meeting in her 90s with the very young van Dyck is fascinating to think about.
A book with drawbacks, but worth reading.
A bit of a mixed bag, but I did enjoy "A Face to the World" and felt I learned quite a bit--to some extent about the artists, but also about the nature of art criticism.
Ms. Cumming's prose suffers to some degree from the kind of overwriting and preciousness that infects the captions at museum exhibitions, but it was interesting to look at the artists' pictures of themselves from such an educated point of view. Ms. Cummings examines self-portraits from their earliest appearances to contemporary examples. Her point of view is distinctly personal; you will not doubt what she thinks of Courbet, for example!
I thought the reproductions of the paintings under discussion could have been much clearer and posted more closely to the text which discusses them. Some of them are printed on a pages colored a sort of light taupe which does nothing to improve their clarity for at least this reader.
I was very pleased to see the women artists included, especially Sophonisba Anguissola, a favorite, and a remarkable woman, whose oeuvre was attributed after her death to male artists. Her meeting in her 90s with the very young van Dyck is fascinating to think about.
A book with drawbacks, but worth reading.
September 24, 2023
Excellent, comprehensive and thought provoking
December 24, 2009
Why do artists paint self-portraits, Cumming asks, and so expose themselves and their art to the accusation of narcissism? Her answer is that self-portraits "make artists present as the embodiment of their art" and they often do so to ask who this person is who is looking back from the mirror. Cumming's book is a series of linked essays, roughly chronological in order, from Jan Van Eyck to Cindy Sherman, focusing mostly on paintings.
A mighty gallery of artists are discussed under rubrics such as "Eyes," "Behind the Scenes," "Mirrors," "Stage Fright," "Loners," "Egotists," "Victims" and "Pioneers." Their inclusion demonstrates that self-portraiture is a main branch, and not a mere off-shoot, of the artistic tradition. Individual essays are devoted to Durer, Rembrandt and Velazquez, and these are the best chapters in a very interesting book. Cumming's discussions of Durer's Christ-like Self-Portrait of 1500 and of Velazquez's Las Meninas c. 1656 convey not only her fascination with the paintings, but also her love for them. The book is no dry scholarly tome, but is an articulate and informed response to a personal obsession. Cumming has been the art critic of the Observer since 1999.
Looking at the lavish illustrations, I was drawn to Tintoretto's Self-Portrait c. 1546-1548, with his darkly handsome face; the muscular art of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-c. 1652); and the friendly self-portrait of Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato (1609-85) who gave his name to the blue used as the background to his painting. Cumming thinks that painters have a strange tendency to behave in self-portraits as they would in life. I found myself responding to self-portraits as I would to people, mentally judging this one vainglorious, that one reticent, and yet another deep. So what about the three that stand out for me? Together they represent the virtues of honesty, power, and friendliness, the same qualities I hope to achieve in my own verbal art.
A mighty gallery of artists are discussed under rubrics such as "Eyes," "Behind the Scenes," "Mirrors," "Stage Fright," "Loners," "Egotists," "Victims" and "Pioneers." Their inclusion demonstrates that self-portraiture is a main branch, and not a mere off-shoot, of the artistic tradition. Individual essays are devoted to Durer, Rembrandt and Velazquez, and these are the best chapters in a very interesting book. Cumming's discussions of Durer's Christ-like Self-Portrait of 1500 and of Velazquez's Las Meninas c. 1656 convey not only her fascination with the paintings, but also her love for them. The book is no dry scholarly tome, but is an articulate and informed response to a personal obsession. Cumming has been the art critic of the Observer since 1999.
Looking at the lavish illustrations, I was drawn to Tintoretto's Self-Portrait c. 1546-1548, with his darkly handsome face; the muscular art of Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-c. 1652); and the friendly self-portrait of Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato (1609-85) who gave his name to the blue used as the background to his painting. Cumming thinks that painters have a strange tendency to behave in self-portraits as they would in life. I found myself responding to self-portraits as I would to people, mentally judging this one vainglorious, that one reticent, and yet another deep. So what about the three that stand out for me? Together they represent the virtues of honesty, power, and friendliness, the same qualities I hope to achieve in my own verbal art.
July 14, 2014
This book could really have benefited from a more thoughtful layout. Each portrait should have appeared on the page (or facing page) where it's first described. I did a lot of flipping back and forth that really broke the rhythm of the text.
As for the text, Laura Cumming certainly had her moments of insight and clarity but overall I found the prose a touch dry. The artists that came to life the most for me were Dürer, Courbet, David and Van Gogh.
As for the text, Laura Cumming certainly had her moments of insight and clarity but overall I found the prose a touch dry. The artists that came to life the most for me were Dürer, Courbet, David and Van Gogh.
"Self-portraits catch your eye. They seem to be doing it deliberately. Walk into any art gallery and they look back at you from the crowded walls as if they had been waiting to see you. The eyes in a million portraits gaze at you too, following you around the room, as the saying goes, but rarely with the same heightened expectation. Come across a self-portrait and there is a frisson of recognition, something like chancing upon your own reflection.
"This is self-portraiture's special look of looking, a trait so fundamental as to be almost its distinguishing feature. Even quite small children can tell self-portraits from portraits because of those eyes. The look is intent, actively seeking you out of the crowd; the nearest analogy may be with life itself: paintings behaving like people."
May 17, 2024
From the author’s preface: “This is a book about inquiry as well as praise; it examines how and what self-portraits communicate and why they come to look as they do. And it considers something else that unites us— the representation of our selves— in terms of artists’ self-portraits. We all have a self and a public existence, however limited, and it is the daily requirement that we put together some sort of face to the world” (8).
One of the most interesting things about this book is the categories Cumming breaks self-portraiture into, which is a conversation of its own. The fact that the definition of /self/ isn’t discussed until the end of the book is curious. Overall I feel this book leaves many doors open for genial conversation, and I enjoyed it. It has me mulling about art, life, and time, among others….
One of the most interesting things about this book is the categories Cumming breaks self-portraiture into, which is a conversation of its own. The fact that the definition of /self/ isn’t discussed until the end of the book is curious. Overall I feel this book leaves many doors open for genial conversation, and I enjoyed it. It has me mulling about art, life, and time, among others….
March 20, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought that I might need it for Art History notes but ended up reading it cover-to-cover. Insightful comments coupled with excellent illustrations. Now on my 'favourites' shelf!
September 21, 2020
Brilliant. A lot of great background and thought into some of the worlds greatest self portraits. Found it really fascinating and read at the time I was completing my own self portrait.
April 13, 2021
Fascinating, and some lovely portraits, and wide-ranging, but very long and got too technical/introverted for me towards the end. Definitely worth a browse if not a full read.
March 10, 2023
A really good read. Good illustrations. Each chapter reads almost like a novel, or short story perhaps. Very enjoyable. A keeper.
November 17, 2023
At forty you get the face you deserve
January 12, 2024
Deals with its singular subject eloquently and intelligently. Lots of images referred to are not shown, and this was the only criticism
January 25, 2024
Exciting, absorbing, educational, thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable, all the way through. With pictures.
July 30, 2024
This is a nice book.
June 30, 2013
I know it's an odd thing to say about an art book, but this makes an exhilarating read. Laura Cumming is a terrific writer on her subject - erudite without being heavy-handed, witty without being facetious - and both her arguments and style are immensely persuasive. The book is both an historical tour and an explication of the many forms which self-portraiture has taken, mainly in painting, but also photography. There are particularly fine chapters on Duerer and Van Gogh, with well- chosen illustrations. The latter part contains illuminating vignettes on some contemporary artists, with the piece on Cindy Sherman particularly well-argued, and it's a shame that there aren't quite so many supporting reproductions here, presumably for copyright reasons. But that's a minor gripe, and this is an excellent book.
December 18, 2019
Excellent book. It is a mammoth read, there is so much information, both in the text and in the artwork, that it takes concentration. Highly recommended as I learned so much.
April 2, 2013
I loved this book. Each chapter looks at a different artist, and what their self-portraits might suggest. Well-written, informative and provocative without ever being out of reach for someone like me who really doesn't know much about art history.
May 30, 2016
An in-depth, semi-chronological analysis of the artists' self-portraits ... beginning with Jan van Eyck and finishing up with Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol and Lucian Freud ... fascinating for its insights and wide range of artists ...
July 17, 2011
I found this very satisfying. It was like having a wonderful gossip session with an art historian friend. So, I felt like I was learning a little bit and having a lot of fun.
January 18, 2016
Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in art.
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April 14, 2016Brill!
April 25, 2017
Her writing is so overdone, and yet compelling. Once you get past the literary bloat, her deep love of art and the rich detail that comes from expertise shine. As much as I complain about her verbose, overwrought style, this is the second book of hers I've read in the last few months, and I think I will get another. Loved learning about how, for example, Jan Van Eyck signed the Arnolfini Portrait in Latin in the middle of the goddamn painting. And how someone poked out Durer's eyes with a hatpin in his self-portrait, and the painting was restored.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews