We are surrounded by signs and symbols with meaning that we have little difficulty in reading. For example, we can read safety signs and road signs. In most cases, we have learned to recognise these from a very young age and know their meanings. With a little bit of help and some experience, we can also learn how to read the meanings of paintings. We can learn something about the history, the place and culture in which the portraits were produced.

Just as words can tell a story, paintings and photographs can also contain stories and hidden meanings. In this unit, the focus is on self-portraits and what they can tell us about the artist and his or her time. Of course, the paintings can show us what the artist looked like, but they can also tell us a lot more besides. What the artist has chosen to show to the viewers can say something about the time and place in which the portrait was painted, the social surroundings and the things that were important to the artist.

By looking at a number of self-portraits by both male and female artists from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, this unit explores what the style and symbolism in the portraits can tell us about them. Finally, the unit explores some of the self-portraits of Frida Kahlo, showing how they help us to understand her struggle for her identity as a woman, as an artist and as a Mexican. It helps the learner to 'read' a painting.