In 2025 at the San Domenico Civic Museum in Forli a major exhibition on artist's portrait and self-portrait

With the major exhibition The Portrait of the Artist. In the Mirror of Narcissus. The Face, the Mask, the Selfie, curated by Cristina Acidini, Fernando Mazzocca, Francesco Parisi and Paola Refice, the Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì and the Museo Civico San Domenico kick off the 2025 exhibition season. On view from Feb. 22 to June 29, 2025, the exhibition is a long journey among masterpieces that chronicles the evolution of the artist’s self-awareness in the history of art through the theme of the portrait andself-portrait.

The self-portrait, in fact, can be considered an existential signature: an indelible mark that becomes a trace, memory and reflection of the artist, translated into an image capable of defying time. The painter, in this context, doubles himself: he is simultaneously the subject to be observed and the artist who observes. Looking at his own reflected image, the artist creates a double, an alter ego that is both a “self” and an “other.” Often what emerges is a mask: a representation that goes beyond the person, transforming into a character, a symbolic figure.

From the Renaissance to the twentieth century, artists have explored this theme. Thus, the self-portrait is often placed in broader contexts, emerging from sacred narratives, mythological tales or historical representations. This is what masters such as Giovanni Bellini, Tintoretto, Lavinia Fontana, Sofonisba Anguissola, Lorenzo Lotto, Pontormo, Parmigianino, Rembrandt, Titian, Hayez, Böcklin, De Chirico, Balla, Sironi, Bacon, up to Bill Viola and Chuck Close have done.

Naked or clothed, smiling or melancholy, made-up or disguised, artists have portrayed themselves to reveal their inner selves and the deeper meaning of their art. Sometimes a detail, such as a face or a foot, is enough to communicate the essence of a unique and personal style.

The self-portrait has always held an irresistible fascination because of its ability to replace entirely the person of whom it is a copy. The image functions as a double of the subject, as in the myth of Narcissus, a subject that runs through the history of art and literature and, in the twentieth century, finds new interpretations in Freudian psychoanalysis.

“The first was Narcissus, who, looking at himself in the mirror of water, knew his own face. The first self-portrait. Then came the selfie. Over the centuries, portraying one’s own face, one’s own image has been -- for every artist -- a challenge, a tribute, a message, a projection, an exercise in deep analysis showing ideal aspirations and emotional expressions, but also revealing mastery and talent. Then a mirror is needed. Fear, caution or desire, even eagerness to look at oneself. Allegory of vices and virtues,” thus explained the perspective from which this exhibition project was born Gianfranco Brunelli, Director of Major Exhibitions at the San Domenico Civic Museum in Forlì.

In 2025 at the San Domenico Civic Museum in Forli a major exhibition on artist's portrait and self-portrait

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