The Invention of the Self
Audio: Listen to this post. Figure 1. Dürer’s self-portrait at 28 (1500). Alte Pinakothek, Munich. In 1500, Albrecht Dűrer painted a shockingly original self-portrait that anticipated the era of Modernity that followed. (See Figure 1.) Dűrer paints himself as a unique individual, as the one subject that fascinated him beyond all else. In the self-portrait, he is perfect, his skin bright and unblemished, his beautiful hair with strands that weave in and out, his fur-lined coat suitable for a nobleman.[1] That