Two Essays on Portraiture

The portrait is one of the oldest forms of artistic or visual representation. A portrait is the image of an individual, whether a painting, photograph, sculpture or other artistic form. As such, a portrait depicts the physical appearance of an individual, often incorporating some sense of the individual's character. As Brilliant (1987) maintains, "Since portraits are imaged, the quality and perspicacity of their reference rather than the accuracy of depiction establishes the normative standard of their being" (p. 171). To be considered a good portrait, Brilliant (1987) also argues that the portrait must be a "correct likeness of the original" subject (p. 171). Despite these criteria, portraiture throughout history often depicts subjects with a likeness that is distinct from the actual subject, as was the case with many of Picasso's portraits and various other artists. This analysis will discuss the international history of portraiture.

The portrait can be traced as far back in history as Ancient Rome and sculpted images of individuals. In nearly all cultures and all ages of history, the portrait has been a staple of artistic expression. The nature of portraiture has changed over the centuries. Roman portraits were intent of exact representation of the person, even unflattering representations. Eventually, portraits were created that portrayed a much more flattering representation of the subject than was the case in reality. So,

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portraits from this period were either accurate representations of the subject, or they often portrayed "idealized" feature to allude to classical or divine subjects. The profile perspective and the lack of sharp lines and anatomical detail make this portrait distinct from that of Botticelli. Brilliant (1987) maintains that no portrait can be anything more than a facsimile of the subject, "The portrait as a simulacrum not only must be differentiated from the original but, as Plato understood, can never be anything more than a false copy" (p. 171). Perhaps the most famous portrait of all time is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Often painters were fond of painting self-portraits, representations of their own images. Rembrandt's self-portraits are considered among the more famous self-portraits. Rembrandt's portraits used light in a unique way to provide a calm, spiritual quality to his self-images. As Tansey (1996) asserts, Rembrandt's use of light in his self-portraits constructed a particular mood within the works, "The prevailing mood is that of tranquil meditation, of philosophical resignation, of musing recollection indeed, a whole cluster of emotional tones heard only in silence" (p. 859). Once more, we see that self-

Category: Arts - T