In the justification of a self-generating, self-sustaining individual, a direct, personal relationship with an omnipotent God was preferred to imitation of divine creation manifest in fertile Nature. It was Michelangelo who coined the adage that 'every painter paints himself' - although this was in contrast to his view that a human form had to be perfected by art: 'Painting bore transparent witness to the artist's personal and quasi-divine capacity to create ideal faces and bodies that expressed the vital, enduring character of the subject. These include various uses of the mirror and the playing of various roles by the artist'. As well as demonstrating the inventiveness, wit and skill of individual artists, the exhibition reveals themes and continuities that emerge from a long view. As the curators point out, 'The exhibition draws attention to the figure of the painter as a distinctive member of society, worthy of representation and considered to be somehow present in the works that he or she makes. Sponsored by Channel 4, 'Self-Portrait' is jointly curated by the National Gallery (Joanna Woodall) and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney (Anthony Bond). Within Britain, works have come from the Royal Collection, The National Gallery in London, The Tate, and English Heritage.
Other important loans have been negotiated from the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Seven paintings, for example, have come from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which houses the finest self-portrait collection in the world started by the Medici family, it has continued in recent times to collect fine and original works.
The paintings assembled include some very fine and valuable works on loan from major collections around the world. The historic development is mapped in terms of the artists' perceptions of themselves as well as the development in naturalism through the use of oil paint, invented in the 15th century. It includes 56 self-portraits in oil by 56 artists Self-Portrait: Renaissance to ContemporaryĢ0 October 2005 – 29 January 2006 Self-Portrait: Renaissance to Contemporary explores self-portraits over 500 years.
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