Students will do research on Selfies vs. Portraits and put what they find on their research page on their website. Part of their research will be to compare and contrast the selfie image agains the portrait image. Students will also have to debate which one is better, and if both could be consider art.
Part 1: Selfie of a famous person vs a professional Portrait of the same famous person. (DO 2 FAMOUS PEOPLE FOR THIS PART)
Students will search GOOGLE for a selfie of a famous person of their choice.
The selfie image must be appropriate for this class, which means the images can not contain the following:
1. drugs of any kind
2. alcohol of any kind
3. half-naked bodies (all images must be fully clothed to be used) swimsuits do not count as clothed.
4. no weapons
Questions for PART 1:
1. What is a selfie? Explain.
2. How does one take a selfie? Explain.
3. What are the characteristics of a selfie? Explain.
Once students have found a selfie of a famous person and answered Part 1 Questions they will move on to Part 2.
Part2: Portrait
They will then need to find a professional portrait of that famous person to compare and contrast the selfie with.
Students will now find a professional portrait taken of the same celebrity as the one in their selfie image they chose. Place the professional image on your research page and label it as Part 2. Students will answer the following questions about the professional image:
Questions for Portraits:
1. What makes this image a portrait?
2. What characteristics should a portrait have?
3. Is a portrait a piece of art? Why or why not? Explain.
Artist to consider: Anne Libowitz,
Part 3: Compare and Contrast – Selfie vs. Portrait
Students will then put the professional portrait (you should have the portrait image twice, once so you can answer Part 2 questions, and the second time under Part 3 to answer those questions) next to a second image of the selfie (you should have the selfie image twice, once so you can answer Part 1 questions, and the second time under Part 3 to answer those questions) so students can compare and contrast the two images of the selfie (images should be side by side and under the label of Part 3).
(compare 2 selifes of the famous person to 2 protraits of famous person- answer the questions for each set of images)
Part 3 Questions: Compare and Contrast Questions:
1. What is similar about the two images? Explain.
2. What is different about the two images? Explain.
3. Do the subjects pose the same way in both images? Why or why not? Explain.
4. Does it matter if the subject is not posed the same way? Is one way better than the other? Why or why not? Explain.
5. What characteristics make up a selfie? Explain.
6. How do the selfie characteristics compare or differ from a portrait? Or vise versa? Explain.
7. Which one (image) does society value more? Why do you think that? Explain.
8. Which image selfie or portrait would you consider art? Why? Explain.
9. Why is a selfie considered a lower form of imagery when next to a portrait or should it be? Is it because one is taken by on self while the other is taken by a professional photographer/artist? Explain.
Part 4: Famous Selfie vs. a Selfie of your self
(compare 2 selifes of the famous person to 2 selfies of yourself -answer the questions for each set of images)
Students will pick a new self of another famous person and will compare that selfie with a selfie of them self. Put them under Part 4 on your research page side by side.
If you need to take a selfie, do it at home or at lunch when you can use your phone. DO NOT TAKE A SELFIE DURING CLASS.
Take a selfie in the same pose as the famous person. You are emulating (copying it) and put on research pace in part 4.Does not count as one of the 2 above.
Questions for Part 4:
1. What is similar about these two selfies? Explain.
2. What is different about these two selfies? Explain.
3. Is your selfie imitating the famous persons selfie? Why or why not? Explain.
4. Where does it look like each selfie was taken? Why do you think it was taken there? Explain.
5. Do selfies have to be taken in a special location? Why or why not? Explain.
6. Why do you think we see Selfies so often being taken in a bathroom or in front of a mirror? Explain.
Part 5: Selfie vs Artist Self- Portraits
Students will pick a selfie of a famous person to compare to a self-portrait of a famous artist. Put on research page as Part 5. Place one selfie next to artist self portrait.
Artist Self Portraits to Compare and Contrast with Famous Selfie: ( you will need to chose a self portrait by each artist listed below)
1. Pablo Picasso
2. Vincent Van Gough
3. Frieda Khalo
4. Leonardo Devinchi
5. Annie Liberwitz
6. Dorthea Lange
7. Rembrant
8. Cindy Sherman
9. Patrick Nagatani
10. Andy Warhol
Part 5 Questions:
1. What is similar about the two images? Explain.
2. What is different about the two images? Explain.
3. Do the subjects pose the same way in both images? Why or why not? Explain.
4. Does it matter if the subject is not posed the same way? Is one way better than the other? Why or why not? Explain.
5. How do the selfie characteristics compare or differ from a portrait? Or vise versa? Explain.
6. Which one (image) does society value more? Why do you think that? Explain.
7. Which image selfie or portrait would you consider art? Why? Explain.
8. Does it matter that an artist self-portrait is hand painted, drawn or photographed? Why or why not? Explain.
9. The artist self-portrait is done differently than a selfie does this matter? Why or why not? Explain.
10. Does the artist self-portrait have more value? Why or why not? Explain.
11. In 200 years could a selfie be consider fine art? Why or why not? Explain.
12. What would it take to make a selfie be “Fine Art”? Explain.
13. Which image do you value more the selfie or the artist self-portrait? Explain.
14. Does it matter that some of the portraits have visual texture? Why or why not? Explain.
15. . Does it matter that some of the portraits are black and white or color? Painted or Photographed? Why or why not? Explain.
16. Value of a selfie? Is there any? Why or why not? Explain.
17. Value of the artist self-portrait? Is there any? Why or why not?
18. Out of the two which is valued more and why? Explain.
19. The artist self portraits does it matter that they have other things going on beside just them? Why or why not? Explain.