Artistic languages for the representation of identity. Self-portraits as a definition of the individual

Abstract

[EN] The interest in representing people as individuals has been a constant throughout the History of Art. Since classical antiquity, one of the original examples of the Roman portrait was the Maiorum images, masks of the deceased made from wax moulds that took the impression of the persons` face, which provided a high degree of symbolism (Centuries I BC. and I AD). On the other hand, the portraits of the El Fayum mummies found in Egypt and made in Roman occupation times (Centuries I and II AD) are also highlighted which involve painted portraits of the dead that provided a meticulous identity on the mummified body. The aim of the representation in both cases fulfils the commemorative function allowing the presence of the person to live on. Subsequently, especially in the Renaissance period, the portraits had been an important theme in the history of painting, drawing and sculpture that sought, without a doubt the recognition of the person represented and on the other hand the intention of making their presence prevail through time. In these cases, an agreement was needed that linked two parties, the one the carrying out the work and the one being represented. In this tandem, the render, after deciphering the formal attributes of the other individual, the represented, being the intention of art to then preserve the physical appearance and make them recognisable in posterity.