Artists have many ways to express who they are. Their artworks show there inner thought and emotions but nothing is more expressive that a self-portrait. Through it they can elicit many thoughts and feelings. In a photomontage self-portrait the artist not only uses themselves in the picture but their relationship with their other artworks or common things that express them. Many artists chose to use only minimal features of themselves and create a work completely made of symbols that describe them. One of the most famous artists to create a self-portrait photomontage was Friday Kahlo, called the Necklace of Thorns. She tries and successfully depicts her sad life with her husband Diego Rivera. She also through symbols like the butterflies and the black cat hope to make a larger statement of life and death. Her portrait and other inspired me to create something that I feel show who I am. The pictures I chose for my photomontage show my passions and personality. I hope that by seeing the portrait it would be immediately clear who I am and what I like to do.
Immediately when you look at my portrait, you see the New York skyline. This was intentional because in my opinion city life defines the kind of person you become. As someone who was born and experienced NYC since birth I can honestly say that I will never be able to lead a life that is not as fast paced. Living in the city has made me stronger as a person and a lot more independent. I know from personal experience that living in the suburbs requires being able to drive and therefore always being reliant on somebody. In the city I am free to do as I please and when I want because I can always just take the subway. The city has made me stronger in so many ways. I learned the hard way that life is tough and that you can’t take anything for granted. Seeing the homeless people every day one every corner is not common in the suburbs but in Manhattan is customary. These sights, although saddening, help majorly to define who I’ve become in an effort to succeed and avoid the daily struggles of living on the streets.. In the background of the city there is a landscape scene of the suburbs. The picture is actually on that I drew because I love the peaceful serenity of the country. The contrast between the city and the background landscape is both literal and artistic. Although I mentioned before I am a city girl at heart and nothing will ever change that, I’ve spent all my summers in the mountains. It’s a place I got to so I can relax and forget about my yearly stresses of school and other activities. I’ve always loved it there and I wouldn’t spend my summer anywhere else.
The second piece that the eye goes to would be the music notes on top. Music is an important part of my life. Whether I listen to it when I am bored, or tired, or angry, or upset I always find comfort in it. I couldn’t imagine my life without listening to and music because I have become so reliant on it. It helps me express my feelings through art. When I listen to music while drawing certain songs evoke a variety of emotions and it tends to reflect on my drawing. If you take a closer look at the music staff, you will notice one of the notes has been replaced with a pointe shoe. I took ballet for ten years and I loved it. If I could I would still be continuing it now. Ballet was a major influence on my life. I had a super strict teacher who taught me a lot of discipline. This is something that I forever owe to my teacher as without her I would have a hard time getting through a school day. I know when someone says that I must do something I should do it without much questioning because it’s for my own benefit. This is something that has shaped my personality and is hopefully a trait I will retain all my life.
Lastly, there’s the subject of my face. I am a shy person and I don’t enjoying being the center of attention unless I am around my closest friend and family. For this reason, I moved myself to the far right as out of the way as possible. I don’t like getting involved in other peoples’ problems or idea and really prefer just to keep to myself. However, I did feel the need to keep the face in the picture as I think it shows an expression of me. Those who are close with me know that I am fun loving and laughing is my favorite hobby. I even have a nickname, “smilely” because I do that so often. I think the smile in the picture helps show that quality about me.
Creating this self-portrait was really important to me. It forced me to dig deep and think about what really changed my life and what was important to me. I enjoyed working on this project as it was also a path to discovering who I am. From what I found, I realized I am a musical city girl who loves to laugh. I am excited to create more photomontages that show some of my other qualities and flaws.
Maria G. 