What is a portrait? Portraits are one of most common forms of photography. However, “what is a portrait?” is such a vague question because a portrait could be defined as many things. An official dictionary definition of the word describes a portrait as “a painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only the face or head and shoulders (Merriam Webster).” The photographer’s aim is to give prominence to the face of the person because this will be the focus and story of the photograph. However, this doesn’t mean that the person’s body cannot be included. Under portrait photography, the body language and background of the photograph are important, but the most emphasis should be on the person’s face, facial expression, and distinct facial features. Although this is an accurate description of what a portrait is in general, a portrait is so much more than that to me.
As a student photographer and someone who loves to take photos, I believe a portrait is something that can portray who a person really is. My favorite kind of photographs to look at (as well as take), are the kind where you can look at them and they capture you. I love to look at a photo that makes me want to know more about the person in it. I love when I can see their emotions and feelings right across their face. There is nothing more beautiful than a photograph of a bride holding her bouquet on her wedding day when you can just see how happy and in love she is. However, I also love when you have to analyze the photo a bit deeper and realize what it is truly about. A portrait that conveys a message is the most intriguing. A portrait doesn’t have to be of someone beautiful or someone skinny. For me, it just has to be ...
... middle of paper ...
...rs to portraits where importance is given to suggest the life or event of the individuals depicted. It can be a combination of environmental portrait and candid portrait styles. Fashion, beauty, and food industries often use lifestyle images to evoke emotions in viewers by depiction of everyday life. Lifestyle is one of the most popular style of portraiture; these types of photos are taken for baby’s milestone birthdays, Christmas photos, maternity photos, and engagement photos just to name a few.
Conceptual portraiture refers to images where the concept is a fourth dimension. The hidden meaning of the concept will leave the viewer guessing as it is often open for interpretation. Conceptual artists often get offended when asked what they meant in their photograph. It is the job of the viewer to decide. Conceptual Portraits are often used in advertising photography.
“In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” (Sol LeWitt - Artform, 1967)
If I had to pick the meaning behind his art and the reason he takes these pictures, I would say the meaning is contextual because his art is about what's inside. Inside the picture I mean, it's what the picture is in all of its beauty and glory. Contextual art operates with signs whose meaning is described by the actual pragmatic context.
Each respective piece of art is no doubt a self portrait, but how each artist is represented in the two pieces is where the contrasting elements come into play. In Portrait
The portrait. A single person immortalized forever on canvas. At first glance, you only see the subject. With a more analytical eye, though, you not only see the image but you begin to hear the voice of the painter and of his time. This is what I hope to do, to feel and understand the mind of the painter Ingres when he painted Louis-Francois Bertin and Reynolds when he painted General John Burgoyne.
Some people may have the same or similar interpretation but as a whole group of people, it is different. The artist whom took painted or drew the piece most likely had a different perspective than the audience. Every moment is different from the present or past. When an artist is creating their artwork, their interpretation can be different than their views a few years ago. Capturing the picture at a certain point in time can be powerful because it shows what the feelings, interpretations, emotions that were expressed at that time. These emotions translate to what the artist chooses to put in their piece, which can be very powerful. In this short essay, “Every Portrait Tells a Lie” by Debra Brehmer, she says “The portrait, in the choices the artist makes, alludes to the fact that who we are involved selection, interpretation, and chance.” (386) Brehmer makes an excellent point that the artist has the control to choose what goes into their piece. The artist can choose to include what they want into their piece, like a person, a plant, and etcetera. In the book The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the artist, Basil Howard claims that another character, Dorian Gray, is his muse. Basil paints a portrait of Dorian and this indicates how much power Basil has over the portrait. Basil has the power to choose what goes into the painting and how Basil wants to paint Dorian. Taking or painting a photo shows how much power the artist has because of their interpretation when taking the photo and their decision of what goes into the photo. The choice is completely up to the artist, which makes taking photos such a powerful
This is a pseudoscience which assesses character and morality from outer appearance, applying the practice of “judging a book by its cover” to the human form. However, one could argue that facial expressions and gestures, as well as race and gender, are socially and culturally learned and not necessarily a reflection on the person’s inner self. The theories of Physiognomy have been discredited and this is one of the reasons why numerous contemporary photographers criticize the conventional portrait and dismiss the belief that the portrait can claim to reveal or capture the inner being, the soul; which they instead categorise as myth. They also refuse the idea that a portrait is believed to be believable and adequate complete resemblance, of the individual being photographed. (Ewing, 2004,
What is art? Art and perception are deeply interrelated, since our ability to experience and comprehend artistic works is strongly biased by our own perceptions. Accordingly, any definition of art should emphasize the importance of perception in creating and experiencing art. Yet, each person has his or her own opinion of every artistic work, biased by his or her own perceptions, causing each person to define art as a whole in his or her own subjective manner. Hence, in my opinion it is impossible to create an objective definition of art, if art is something that each person perceives and experiences in a wholly subjective manner.
The essay How You See Yourself by Nicholas Mirzoeff discusses the evolution of art. The author discusses the use of art to represent changing identities over the years including cultural practices and societal expectations. The selfie, according to Nicholas Mirzoeff’s essay, is the equivalent of a self-portrait in the previous centuries preceding the technological development required for the present day selfie. The essay explores the different periods and the significance of art, particularly self-portraits, the selfies of the time, and their development over time. The author focuses on different themes including heroism, gender definition, and the focus of an image. Mirzoeff effectively provides examples illustrating and reinforcing the themes he highlights in his essay.
For this source I chose the article, In Plato 's cave by Susan Sontag. The source talks about all of the different ways society looks at photographs. In the quote by Sontag she says,
In Photography and Representation, Scruton advances the view that photography cannot be described as a representational art form in the same sense as painting, and that the photograph is unworthy of aesthetic appreciation in and of itself. Indeed, Scruton suggests that it is not even possible to have an aesthetic interest in the photograph, as such interest is necessarily directed towards its subject. In this sense, photography is merely a facilitator of seeing. It is no more a representational art form than viewing a scene through a pair of spectacles, or observing an object through a magnifying glass. It is a simply a tool for seeing-through, and what one perceives in a photograph is quite literally the object
A self portrait is normally a painting of the painter itself. The painting is a tangible piece of art because it is
Through time due to advancements in material and painting techniques combined with the ever-increasing talent of the artists, paintings representing people have become very lifelike and are extremely realistic. Some painted portraits have as much detail as modern photographs. However, there are also paintings of people that are representational in which the artist is trying to convey a message. This paper discusses the two types through the comparison of two paintings, Abaporu and Portrait of a Lady.
Have you ever seen a painting or picture that captivates you and directly stirs up emotion within you? More than likely, you have. Usually, viewers merely observe the picture and enjoy the way it looks and how it makes them feel. But, have you ever asked yourself, “why?” What about the picture makes it pleasing to the viewer? With each strategy the photographer uses creates their own touch and passion that floods all over the picture. The emotional connection nearly goes unnoticed for when the picture is well photographed, the viewers experience the sensation in their subconscious. This is one of the most powerful tools that a photographer holds in their hands. If one can become a master of manipulating how the photo affects its viewers, the said photographer can potentially maneuver people’s minds and thoughts with one click of a button. The time spent with my mentor has opened up the door for me to tap into that power though the use of background, focus, shutter speed, angles, and most importantly, lighting. Even with all these techniques, the person behind the camera must remember that creativity must be at the forefront of all operations. Caleno (2014), when writing about the basics of capturing a beautiful moment in a picture commented, “If we want to be creative we must drop these pre-conceptions and start looking at things from a small child’s innocence.”
Women desire to become beautiful and powerful, even if they don’t say it in words. And the Photographer plays with that concept and creates that desire, that you can become that person you see in the photograph. And live that lifestyle. Photographers use techniques from the cinema/cinematic, to create the desire of viewers/Buyer/Consumers. The cinematic techniques made it possible the way people lived and the...
Not of their passions, or careers or struggles, but of themselves. The perfect examples of this expressionism are the invention of the selfie. Millennials are constantly photographing and logging themselves into everything that they do. Shopping malls are taking the traditions of the photo booth and giving them slight upgrades. Photo booths in certain malls around the world are becoming more technologically advanced and have configured a way to not only take a photo in the booth like traditional mall photo booths but now clients can upload their pictures from the mall photo booth to their own personal social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat right there at the mall versus receiving a hard copy of the