Transformation of subject and identity readings in art in the context of personal mythology

Transformation of Subject and Identity Readings in Art in the Context of Personal Mythology The aim of this thesis is to reveal the methods of generating artistic image by examining the works of artists who create personal myths based on their own life stories with the concepts of psychology, sociology, philosophy and art. Every work of art is a reflection of the self. Whatever the subject, it contains something from the essence of the artist. We sense the artist's anxieties, fears, hopes, how he embraces life or how he perceives himself in front of the work. By its very nature, the work of art is a 'language' and operates independently of the artist. The artwork offers a reflection to the self by touching the mental world of each viewer it encounters. Therefore, the artwork has the potential to produce endless meaning independently of its subject. Such an approach allows to consider works of art as myths. The concept of 'personal mythologies', which Harald Szeemann brought to the literature, constitutes a theoretical framework for artistic works in which individual identities are deciphered. Within the scope of this thesis, the concepts of self-subject, individual-individuality and identity, which play an important role in the formation of self-story, are examined; Self-portraits presenting the -relatively-direct view of the artist's self-story were analyzed through these concepts; and the myth-making or mythification processes of artists who set out from their own personal worlds or whose issue is "themselves" have been investigated. Key Words: myth, individual mythology, subject, selfness, identity, self-portrait.