Autoritratto. Storia e tecnologia dell'immagine di sé dall'antichità al selfie

A self-portrait, which is a rather ancient art form, is about self-perception and a form of communication at the same time. It does not only include the artist and the viewer, but also the environment in which it is made. This interdisciplinary book draws on art history, performance studies, cultural studies, visual culture, new media theory, philosophy, psychology, gender studies, computer science and neuroscience in order to trace the historical evolution of self-portraits. In particular, it explains how artists who wanted to capture their appearance and forge their identity constantly revisited self-portraits by using different types of technology, along with theatrical and performative strategies. Various practices and processes, as well as tools, including mirrors, chisels, drills, cameras, smartphones, videos, and even virtual reality and social media were used to create and offer an increasingly fluid, diverse and ‘social’ representation that has also influenced the way we see ourselves. In this respect, a self-portrait, which is created based on and through the actual or implicit presence of another person, is not only about self-representation, but is also a matter of predicting how it will be perceived (think of selfies, for instance). The author concludes her research by encouraging readers to reflect on possible strategies that can be adopted in the future to further explore the concept and practice of ‘self’ in a more inclusive and environmentally friendly way.