17Th Century Self-Portraits Exhibited As the Original "Selfies" by Associated Press, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 10.23.15 Word Count 609 Level 1040L

17th century self-portraits exhibited as the original "selfies" By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.23.15 Word Count 609 Level 1040L A woman admires paintings during a press preview of an exhibition called "Dutch Self-Portraits — Selfies of the Golden Age" at the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague, Netherlands, Oct. 7, 2015. AP/Mike Corder THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A new museum exhibit features "selfies" from the 17th century Dutch Golden Age of art. These days, anybody with a smartphone can snap a selfie in a second and post it on the Internet. Four hundred years ago, the Dutch Golden Age was a highpoint for trade, science, military and art in the Netherlands. Back then, the selfies were called self-portraits. They were painted by highly trained artists who thought long and hard about every detail. A First Of Its Kind The Mauritshuis museum is staging an exhibition focused solely on these 17th century self- portraits. The exhibit highlights the similarities and the differences between modern-day snapshots and historic works of art. The museum's director, Emilie Gordenker, said that this is the first time a museum has exhibited Dutch Golden Age self-portraits like this. The Mauritshuis was eager to tie the paintings to the modern-day selfie phenomenon, she said. The exhibition opened October 8 and runs through January 3. It features 27 self-portraits by artists ranging from Rembrandt van Rijn, who painted dozens of self-portraits, to his student Carel Fabritius and Judith Leyster. Her self-portrait is on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Original Selfie-Portraits A less well-known artist, Huygh Pietersz Voskuyl, is the poster boy for the exhibition. His striking 1638 self-portrait features a classic selfie pose. He is staring over his right shoulder out of the frame and into the distance. It does not take much imagination to picture him gazing into the lens of a smartphone rather than a mirror, which Golden Age artists used to capture their images for self-portraits. Giant mirrors are spread through the exhibition space. They create reflections within reflections of paintings, which are mirror images of the artists. The similarities between selfies and self-portraits are obvious, since the subject of the painting is the painter. Yet, there are also big differences. A selfie is often shot quickly with little concern for how people are posed. By comparison, these self-portraits are carefully thought out works of art. A video made for the exhibition shows the thought that went into the paintings and what today's selfie makers can learn from them to improve their snapshots. And, yes, you are allowed to take selfies in the museum. Early Attention To Detail The painting by Voskuyl is a good example of the rich details that can be found in a picture that looks so simple. "He brings out all these little details, like his beard or the little embroidery on his shirt, even a kind of fake wood-paneled wall behind him," Gordenker said. "So he's thought very hard about the textures and the things that make him who he is. At the same time, you can see the skill with which he painted this. And this will have definitely been a very good advertisement for what he could do." That kind of attention to detail made the self-portraits almost a Golden Age advertisement for the painter. They showed off the artist and his or her talents to potential clients, who might pay to have their own portraits done. "A lot of artists in the 17th century painted self-portraits, not only as portraits of themselves but also as an example of the beautiful art that they could make," said curator Ariane van Suchtelen. She organized the exhibit. Rembrandt, for instance, was very famous for his sketchy way of painting, van Suchtelen said. "If you would buy a self-portrait by Rembrandt, you would not only have a portrait of this famous artist but also an example of what he could do, what he was famous for." Quiz 1 Read the section "A First Of Its Kind." The museum's director, Emilie Gordenker, would most likely AGREE with which of the following statements? (A) Self-portraits are much more important than modern selfies taken with smartphones. (B) Museum visitors can learn new things by comparing old self-portraits and modern selfies. (C) Museum visitors should simply enjoy art from previous eras without trying to see modern connections. (D) Self-portraits are outdated and not relevant to modern people interested in art. 2 Read the section "Early Attention To Detail." According to this section, why did artists put great detail into their self-portraits? (A) The artists wanted to sell them for the highest price possible. (B) The artists wanted to demonstrate their particular skills. (C) The artists wanted to present themselves as attractively as possible. (D) The artists wanted to include details that showed off their wealth or status. 3 Read the sentence from the article. The Mauritshuis museum is staging an exhibition focused solely on these 17th century self- portraits. The exhibit highlights the similarities and the differences between modern-day snapshots and historic works of art. Which answer choice is the BEST definition of the word "staging" as used in the sentence? (A) lighting (B) presenting (C) finding (D) comparing 4 Read the excerpt below. A less well-known artist, Huygh Pietersz Voskuyl, is the poster boy for the exhibition. His striking 1638 self-portrait features a classic selfie pose. He is staring over his right shoulder out of the frame and into the distance. The sentence above calls Voskuyl's portrait "striking." What does this mean? (A) The portrait is unremarkable. (B) The portrait is memorable. (C) The portrait is perplexing. (D) The portrait is odd..

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