Self

• Marc Quinn

  Self

  1991

  1st of 5 works in ongoing self-portrait series

  Artists blood, stainless steel, Perspex and refrigeration equipment

  208 x 63 x 63 cm
• First Impressions - blood

  • Association of blood and the response it gets – feels grotesque and eery
  • The association of blood with the date – aids
  • His own blood – used to create the self-portrait
• First Impressions- surface rough

  • Association to the Roman republic busts – the warts and all idea of non-idealistic depictions
  • The surface is rough
  • there are discrepancies in the piece, the chin – slight inaccuracies where the surface has deteriorated – more gruesome
  • Sinister deep cleft between his nose and mouth - possibly injury
• Information of the piece - pints and series

  • 1991 - first in an ongoing series - Quinn was 27
  • made it every 5 years - supposed to be a continuing series - total of 5
  • 10 pints of the artists own blood
• Life cast - exacting portraiture and authentic

  • Exacting and realistic form of self-portraiture

  . made from a life-size cast

  • The most authentic representation of a self-portrait

  . personal and exacting material

  . it is intimate and personal – blood is personal and disturbing
• Life cast - disembodied head

  • disembodied head – the head and neck
  • he head and shoulders are more typical of a bust portrait - Roman Republic 'warts and all'
• Life cast - facial expression

  • Very peaceful – these details contrast the degradation of the piece
  • there is a tension between his serene face and the horrifying roughed surface
  • his eyes are closed – seeming either resting or gracefully deceased – reminiscent a death mask
  • his lips gently pushed forward and gentle
  • the details of the eyelashes and eyelids – gentle
• The Setting - refrigeration

  • Contrast between the organic matter of blood and the stainless steal refrigeration unit and the Perspex covering
  • contrast through form as the rough and natural detailed edges of the head are natural and the smooth Perspex and stainless steal
  • The head on top of the refrigeration unit – idea of a body
• The Setting - face to face

  • Face to face encounter – our image may be super imposed over the blood head – the Perspex is somewhat reflective
  • recognising that we are human – recognising human fragility and mortality
• The Setting - specimen

  • Feeling of a specimen and scientific feel the piece – due to the Perspex and stainless steal – modern materials
• Background - Saatchi then sold

  • It was bought by Saatchi then sold in later to Steve Cohen