"Self- Portrait" – A Study of the 'Self':

about his own face, after the 'self' that peeks out from the work of art and still remains hidden. The
hermeneutic circle that starts with painting a 'self- portrait' is a metaphor of the process of investigation
of the 'self'. It also serves as a sketch and road map to discover and expose the 'self'. I wish to say that
the painting of a self- portrait is a process of creating and building the portrait of the self through a
journey of investigation and interpretation. I claim that the actual search for means of interpretation and
their use is the way to catch that slippery 'self'. The 'self', while being caught, is also created, as is
demonstrated in the act of painting and in the product.
The centrality of the 'self' in this investigation raises a few questions. A sceptic might wonder – is one
not self-indulgent, overly concentrated in the 'self', guilty of narcissism? Can a researcher really
investigate himself? And what can the contribution of such research be? These topics are widely
discussed in the research itself (see chapter 3 – Designing the Research; chapter 5 – Methodology/
Reliability/ Ethics). Here I will explain them briefly.
The phenomenon at the basis of this research is the investigation of the 'self' through painting a self-
portrait. Researchers tend to ascribe narcissistic characteristics to artists, especially to those who paint
self- portraits (Pieper, 1983; West, 2004). Therefore, the phenomenon of narcissism is a basic fact and
data that comes to the research together with the investigated phenomenon. The investigation
researches the phenomenon, identifies it and copes with it (see chapters 8, 9). Self- analysis and self-
concentration are part of the phenomena and signs of human behaviour that are being investigated. In
this research I do not intend to explain the phenomenon of narcissism, neither apologise for it. I intend
to use it, point at it, present its significance in my research, and use it as a lever for development (see
chapter 11 - Discussion).
Since the discussion is about investigating the 'self' I base my writings also on Jung's theory (1989) that
encouraged the investigation of the 'self', and developed ways to research and self- discovery. On the
basis of personal experience which he called self-therapy? Jung stressed that in order to achieve self -
realisation fulfilment and well- being, the subject must be occupied in creative ways with investigation of
the 'self'. This is an endless, developmental, process. Jung describes this as a descent to depths that
have no bottom. In this way man learns about himself, discovers and invents himself, and thus becomes
stronger.
The centrality of the 'self' in my research is justified also by the theory of Emmanuel Levinas, who gives
it a principled, moral and ethical basis. Schonfeld (2007 ) in his book Wonder of Subjectivity presents
and explains the theory of Levinas which is called The Phenomenology of the Face. Levinas opposes
the tyranny of western philosophy that removed the subject from the centre and wishes to give back to
the subject the central place and honour. In his opinion, the individual, his body and his face are the
point of departure for learning about the other and the general public. A face-to-face encounter between
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