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| Social Media sites where "selfies" are prominent. |
Defined on Urban dictionary as “A ridiculous practice of
narcissism”, a “selfie” is a picture taken by yourself, featuring yourself.
Whether it’s the classic bathroom mirror picture or the duck
face at a slight angle, selfies are posted to all forms of social media on the
daily. From the Instagram pics with the #bestie, all the way to the innocent Facebook
profile pictures used to please that great aunt who just happened to friend
you, people use selfies to make themselves look good to all audiences.
So common is the selfie, that a song was recently created
about taking one. With over 15 million views on YouTube, The Chainsmokers “#Selfie”
mockingly follows the nightlife of a boy-obsessed teenage girl who wants everyone
to think she looks good in her “selfie”.
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| "Selfie" by The Chainsmokers |
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| The Arnolfini Portrait |
Similar to the teenagers of the 21st century who
use selfies to show others just how cool they are or what a great time they are
having, the wealthy people of the Renaissance had their way of showing off too.
Since there were no Iphones to snap quick shots in front of their expensive
books or dressed in their imported fabrics, members of the Renaissance upper
class had portraits of themselves drawn to
show off their wealth and culture.
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| The Ambassadors |
As we learned in history class, the Renaissance
(1300s-1500s) was a time period during which the arts flourished and humanism
was becoming prominent. Although all kinds of paintings became popular, one of
the main focuses in Renaissance artwork was the idea of using it to show off
wealth and culture. One example of this
is “The Arnolfini Portrait” that Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini had done by Jan
van Eyck (1434) to show off his pregnant wife, their ability to
afford a dog, and their clothes made of rich fabrics. Another is “The Ambassador”
by Hans Holbein the Younger (1533), depicting Jean de Dinteville, French
ambassador, to be wealthy and learned by displaying him in front of
a globe, books, and an instrument.
Whether it be through a picture snapped with an Iphone, or a
portrait painted by one of the best artists of the Renaissance, the idea of showing
off is timeless. For hundreds of years
people have wanted to be recognized for their beauty, knowledge, and wealth,
and will continue to try to achieve recognition. The only difference is that
now people do so on an Iphone screen, not a canvas.
Citations:
Urban Dictionary. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=selfie.
"Selfie" Music Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0.
Pictography:
"Selfie Cover." Photograph. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0.
"Social Media." Digital Image. Media Bistro. https://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/social-media-user-demographics_b38095.
"The Arnolfini." Painting. Wikipaintings. http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/jan-van-eyck/the-arnolfini-wedding-the-portrait-of-giovanni-arnolfini-and-his-wife-giovanna-cenami-the-1434.
"The Ambassadors. " Painting. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ambassadors_%28Holbein%29.
Really nice job Katie! I really liked how you compared modern day selfies to 16th century portraits. I never would have made the connection between the two, but after I read your post, I don't know how I didn't! Both types of "self portraits" do try and show off in some way, and you did a really good job displaying that with your pictures and descriptions. Overall, you did a great job and this was one of the most interesting blog posts I've read!
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a great job on this piece Katie! This is a very current topic right now, and I thought that you did a great job on focusing on the narcissistic aspect of "selfies" and paintings people had created of themselves during the Renaissance. You did a nice job of explaining how similar the two examples of narcissism are, even though they're in such different time periods. You had very smooth transitions in between the two as well, and really wrapped all of your ideas up nicely in your conclusion!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Katie! I love how you chose a topic that is so current and relatable and were able to connect it so well. I really loved how you said the whole point of selfies and renaissance paintings depicted wealth is/was to show off. I also really enjoyed all the visuals. I thought you did an excellent job of making this not only an interesting article, but one that was actually very enjoyable to read. Your word choices were brilliant. For example when you had said "From the Instagram pics with the #bestie, all the way to the innocent Facebook profile pictures used to please that great aunt who just happened to friend you.." Overall a very enjoyable post! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great blog, it was so relatable to almost everyone which made it fun to read. This was a very interesting way to look at the renaissance, examples between the ways of showing off then and now we're shown in your article too. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! I thought it was a very creative idea and something I never would have thought of! I agree that pictures and paintings are meant to show off what you have and how you spend your time. It was interesting to read because of how relatable and modern it is. Great idea, Katie!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post. I love the connection! when I first saw it I just had to read it because I saw that you mentioned selfies. I was shocked because I had no idea that it could connect to history class but it did. You did a fantastic job connecting very interesting modern day thing to history class!
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting. I never connected the portraits to selfies, but now that I think about it it does make sense. The post kept people interested and made a quick and easy connection from modern times to the Renaissance. I also love how you added the links to what you referenced in the post.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading you blog post. I never would have connected the renaissance to our world today in that way. You did a great job explaining everything and it the connection to our world was clearly made. I really enjoyed your intro paragraph. I like how you included a lot of visuals. It made the post easier to read and understand exactly what you were talking about. Overall, awesome job!
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was so good! I never would have thought of comparing Renaissance paintings to selfies, but now that you have I see that they have so many connections. I also loved the very first paragraph, when you were talking about how common selfies are today. It was so funny! Your pictures were great, and your writing was very easy to read and understand.
ReplyDeleteKatherine :-),
ReplyDeleteThis was crazy good! I NEVER would've thought of this, but now that you have, I totally get it. You're right when you say that showing off is timeless. Your title pulled me in right away and I was interested the entire time I was reading your post. I loved how you described the 'selfie' in the beginning, but you didn't get too wrapped up in today. You focused more on the historic factor, which I thought was great. Your post was so great because unfortunately, we all take selfies. It was relateable but also made me look at this in a way I never would've thought of before. GREAT job.
I really enjoyed reading this post! I never would have made the connection between selfies and the portraits of the Renaissance. It was really interesting how you pointed out how a selfie is basically just a much more modern way of showing off and trying to look good. I thought your post was very well-written and easy to follow. I also liked how you have examples of "The Arnolfini Portrait" and "The Ambassadors" to show how people showed off during the Renaissance. Overall, I think your post was very relatable and interesting. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great post! You made a very creative connection to the Renaissance from social media and what's going on today. I was interested right away and I especially liked how you used the exact paintings that we had studied in class. I hadn't realized how showing off was an effect of humanism becoming popular. Your post was very well-written.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job Katie! This was such a good comparison and a really good idea! I never would have thought that renaissance paintings and selfies could be very similar, now however, I completely agree! Your idea was very unique and relatable to class. You are such a great writer too!! Everyhing you say flows niceley and keeps me interested! It was probably the most well-written blog post I have read. Amazing job Katie, your post is great!
ReplyDeleteI found this post to be rather comical. The connection itself was great. Just the idea of a selfie taken by a teenage girl today and an ancient portrait of a renaissance Ambassador having the same purpose is quite true when you take a closer look at the pictures. Very interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI love the connection. It's cool how you connected something big going on in the present to something like the renaissance. I was definitely interested as soon as I read the first paragraph because I can personally connect to it myself, just like many teenagers. Great job being descriptive on the connection and I loved the language you used to keep the reader intrigued.
ReplyDeleteKatie, this post was so accurate and interesting! Your post was recommended to me by a number of different people, and I'm so glad I took their advice and read this! Right off the bat I knew I was going to love your post, just from your title. It is intriguing and relatable, and connects right back to your post too! I love how you gave specific examples of Renaissance "selfies" making sure to explain how they could be considered the selfies of the 1300's. I never would have thought of this, and I'm so glad you did! Your post was very well written and articulated, great job!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post! I think it was really funny that you talked about selfies. I loved that you said how Renaissance portraits were basically their version of a selfie. I believe that the renaissance paintings made them even more self centered because it would've taken a lot of time and money to make them while we just snap quick pictures. Great job I loved it.
ReplyDelete