A self-portrait is a work of art featuring the artist as subject. There are examples stretching back to ancient times. Self-Portraits in art can be 2 or 3 dimensional. As artists became more professional and independent, during the Renaissance period, they began to make more self-portraits as a way of celebrating their own status and individuality. Today, the self-portrait is a thriving genre, perhaps one that has been given an extra impetus by photography. It’s important to remember that, when photography was ‘invented’ (the 1830s) it was largely influenced by painting and other 2D arts.
