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= Portrait =
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Introduction
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A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic
representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is
predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and
even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a
portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person
in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly
at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage
the subject with the viewer.
Prehistorical portraiture
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Plastered human skulls were reconstructed human skulls that were made
in the ancient Levant between 9000 and 6000 BC in the Pre-Pottery
Neolithic B period. They represent some of the oldest forms of art in
the Middle East and demonstrate that the prehistoric population took
great care in burying their ancestors below their homes. The skulls
denote some of the earliest sculptural examples of portraiture in the
history of art.
Historical portraiture
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Most early representations that are clearly intended to show an
individual are of rulers, and tend to follow idealizing artistic
conventions, rather than the individual features of the subject's
body, though when there is no other evidence as to the ruler's
appearance the degree of idealization can be hard to assess.
Nonetheless, many subjects, such as Akhenaten and some other Egyptian
pharaohs, can be recognised by their distinctive features. The 28
surviving rather small statues of Gudea, ruler of Lagash in Sumeria
between c. 2144–2124 BC, show a consistent appearance with some
individuality, although it is sometimes disputed that these count as
portraits.
Some of the earliest surviving painted portraits of people who were
not rulers are the Greco-Roman funeral portraits that survived in the
dry climate of Egypt's Fayum district. These are almost the only
paintings from the classical world that have survived, apart from
frescos, though many sculptures and portraits on coins have fared
better. Although the appearance of the figures differs considerably,
they are considerably idealized, and all show relatively young people,
making it uncertain whether they were painted from life.
The art of the portrait flourished in Ancient Greek and especially
Roman sculpture, where sitters demanded individualized and realistic
portraits, even unflattering ones. During the 4th century, the
portrait began to retreat in favor of an idealized symbol of what that
person looked like. (Compare the portraits of Roman Emperors
Constantine I and Theodosius I at their entries.) In the Europe of the
Early Middle Ages representations of individuals are mostly
generalized. True portraits of the outward appearance of individuals
re-emerged in the late Middle Ages, in tomb monuments, donor
portraits, miniatures in illuminated manuscripts and then panel
paintings.
Moche culture of Peru was one of the few ancient civilizations which
produced portraits. These works accurately represent anatomical
features in great detail. The individuals portrayed would have been
recognizable without the need for other symbols or a written reference
to their names. The individuals portrayed were members of the ruling
elite, priests, warriors and even distinguished artisans. They were
represented during several stages of their lives. The faces of gods
were also depicted. To date, no portraits of women have been found.
There is particular emphasis on the representation of the details of
headdresses, hairstyles, body adornment and face painting.
One of the best-known portraits in the Western world is Leonardo da
Vinci's painting titled 'Mona Lisa', which is a painting of Lisa del
Giocondo. What has been claimed as the world's oldest known portrait
was found in 2006 in the Vilhonneur grotto near Angoulême and is
thought to be 27,000 years old.
Self-portraiture
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When the artist creates a portrait of themself, it is called a
'self-portrait'. Identifiable examples become numerous in the late
Middle Ages. But if the definition is extended, the first was by the
Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten's sculptor Bak, who carved a representation
of himself and his wife Taheri c. 1365 BC. However, it seems likely
that self-portraits go back to the cave paintings, the earliest
representational art, and literature records several classical
examples that are now lost.
Official portrait
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The official portrait is a photographic production of record and
dissemination of important personalities, notably kings, presidents
and governors. It is usually decorated with official colors and
symbols such as flag, presidential stripes and coat of arms of
countries, states or municipalities. There is also connotation as an
image of events, products and meetings.
Portrait photography
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Portrait photography is a popular commercial industry all over the
world. Many people enjoy having professionally made 'family portraits'
to hang in their homes, or special portraits to commemorate certain
events, such as graduations or weddings.
Since the dawn of photography, people have made portraits. The
popularity of the daguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century was
due in large part to the demand for inexpensive portraiture. Studios
sprang up in cities around the world, some cranking out more than 500
plates a day. The style of these early works reflected the technical
challenges associated with 30-second exposure times and the painterly
aesthetic of the time. Subjects were generally seated against plain
backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and
whatever else could be reflected with mirrors.
As photographic techniques developed, an intrepid group of
photographers took their talents out of the studio and onto
battlefields, across oceans and into remote wilderness. William Shew's
'Daguerreotype Saloon', Roger Fenton's 'Photographic Van' and Mathew
Brady's 'What-is-it?' wagon set the standards for making portraits and
other photographs in the field.
Some photographers took the technique to other countries. Augustus
Washington moved to Monrovia, Liberia from Hartford, Connecticut and
created daguerreotype portraits for many political leaders for the
country.
African American Portraiture
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Frederick Douglass was the most photographed African American of the
19th century. His iconic daguerreotypes have become symbols for the
advancements of African Americans since the end of slavery.
In 1920, Florenstine Perrault Collins opened a portrait shop in New
Orleans Louisiana as one of only 101 African American women
photographers in America at the time.
Politics
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In politics, portraits of the leader are often used as a symbol of the
state. In most countries it is common protocol for a portrait of the
head of state to appear in important government buildings. Excessive
use of a leader's portrait, such as that done of Joseph Stalin, Adolf
Hitler, or Mao Zedong, can be indicative of a personality cult.
Literature
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In literature the term 'portrait' refers to a written description or
analysis of a person or thing. A written portrait often gives deep
insight, and offers an analysis that goes far beyond the superficial.
For example, American author Patricia Cornwell wrote a best-selling
book entitled 'Portrait of a Killer' about the personality,
background, and possible motivations of Jack the Ripper, as well as
the media coverage of his murders, and the subsequent police
investigation of his crimes.
However in Literature a portrait of a character is a subtle
combination of fact and fiction, exploring the individual psychology
of the character in the wider context of their environment. When the
subject of the narrative is a historical figure, then the writer is
free to create a compelling and dramatic portrait of the person that
draws on imaginative invention for verisimilitude. An example is
Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall' (2009) which, while acknowledging the work
of the historian Dr Mary Robertson for background information,
imagines an intimate portrait of Oliver Cromwell and his intense
relationship with Henry VIII at a critical time in English history. It
could be argued that in literature any portrait is a discreet assembly
of facts, anecdotes, and author's insights. Plutarch's 'Lives',
written in the 2nd century AD, offer a prime example of historical
literary portraits, as a source of information about the individuals
and their times.
Painted portraits can also play a role in literature. These can be
fictional portraits, such as the portrait of Dorian Gray in the
eponymous novel by Oscar Wilde. But sometimes also real portraits
feature in literature. An example is the portrait of Richard III that
plays a role in Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time.
See also
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