Portraiture in the 18th Century & Modern Era
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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 individualÆs character. As Brilliant (1987) maintains, ôSince portraits are imaged, the quality and perspicacity of their reference rather than the accuracy of depiction establishes the normative standard of their beingö (p. 171). To be considered a good portrait, Brilliant (1987) also argues that the portrait must be a ôcorrect likeness of the originalö 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 PicassoÆs 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 ôidealizedö 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, ôThe portrait as a simulacrum not only must be differentiated from the original but, as Plato understood, can never be anything more than a false copyö (p. 171).
Perhaps the most famous portrait of all time is Leonardo da VinciÆs Mona Lisa. Often painters were fond of painting self-portraits, representations of their own images. RembrandtÆs self-portraits are considered among the more famous self-portraits. RembrandtÆs portraits used light in a unique way to provide a calm, spiritual quality to his self-images. As Tansey (1996) asserts, RembrandtÆs use of light in his self-portraits constructed a particular mood within the works, ôThe prevailing mood is that of tranquil meditation, of philosophical resignation, of musing recollectionùindeed, a whole cluster of emotional tones heard only in silenceö (p. 859). Once more, we see that self-
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Mona Lisa, Ancient Rome, Portraiture Introduction, Eugene Delacroix, Marsha Meskimmon, Giovanna Tornabuoni, BotticelliÆs Portrait, Gertrude Stein, College Publishers, Botticelli Brilliant, tansey 1996, brilliant 1987, brace college publishers, york harcourt brace, ed 1996, modern portraiture, gardnerÆs art, 1996 gardnerÆs, art ages, tansey ed, ages 10th edit, 10th edit york, subjectÆs identity, harcourt brace college, art movements,
Approximate Word count = 1229
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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