THE GREAT PORTRAIT:

MORE THAN A YEARBOOK PICTURE

Great portraits convey both outer likeness and inner life of the sitter

Self Portraits by Rembrandt painted at various times in his life (b.1606 - d.1669)

What do these two paintings, separated by 200 years share in common?

FRIDA KAHLO SELF PORTRAITS

Cindy Sherman is a photographer who uses herself as the main subject of her pictures but always in some kind of disguise. Are these self-portraits? Why or

why not?

Placing the subject in a specific environment provides a context from which to read underlying themes or meanings.

This enhances our feeling of familiarity and often identification with the sitter.

Master of Flemalle, The Merode Altarpiece, 1425The Annunciation

Late Gothic in style, this Flemish painting contains disguised symbolism in which every detail may carry a symbolic message. For example: Lilies denote purity and stand for Mary, as does the kettle, “a vessel of living waters”. This painting is among the first to set a religious subject in a familiar setting. Met Link: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/56.70

In this 1981 self portrait by American artist, Greg Gillespie, what do the objects and detail tell us about the sitter or subject?

The way the environment is depicted in Vuillard’s “Mother and Sister of the Artist” speaks volumes about the dynamic within the family

The environment can lend a psychological dimension to a portrait

POP QUIZ: List at least 3 elements these pictures share in common

What do you notice about the way the environment is shown in these pictures?

Compare to “The Annunciation”

Figures in their environments by 20th Century American painters.

Edward Hopper

Richard Diebenkorn

Gregory Gillespie

David Hockney, b. Britain, lives Ca, USA

Henri De Toulouse -Lautrec (1864-1901) French

POSTERIZATION. The term derives from “poster”. Here’s a first generation poster as we know it by Toulouse Lautrec, c. 1890

What are the main formal characteristics in this piece? How does form follow function? I.e.: what is the function of a poster? How is the style appropriate for the function?

The Posterized image became a trademark of the Pop style of Andy Warhol in the late 60’s and 70’s

These images are photo silk screens.

Posterization in contemporary fine art……

Above: Zak Smith drawing. Figure in 2 values Above: Elizabeth Peyton watercolor: figures in ? values?

Clockwise:Warhol,( Leo Castelli). Toulouse-Lautrec, Zak Smith

ZAK SMITH

LISA RUYTER Contemporary artist and illustrator

Contemporary American artist, Mickalene Thomas, poses her friends in a set up environment in her studio, takes photographs and creates mixed media paintings

based on the images

Mickalene Thomas, Oprah. Thomas often uses sequins in her paintings

KEHINDE WILEY, Contemporary American painter

Link to view more of Wiley’s work: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/images/02-07_full.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/paintings.html&usg&http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.deitch.com/files/artists/wiley_work_feat.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.deitch.com/art

Posterizing your photo: easy directions

Open JPEG File in Photoshop. Go to IMAGE - image size and reduce size to approx. 5”

Go to IMAGE - Mode - Grayscale.

Then adjust brilliance and contrast

Go to IMAGE - Adjustments - Posterize

Pop Up Menu appears, type in 3 values

Look at the composition and crop it with cropping tool

PRINT - Print with Preview. Size it to fit page

Print - send to Optra Printer (Black and White)

Enlarge your image on copier. Transfer to support. Design your color scheme and develop using water color and collage.

REVIEW• What is the first step after opening the image in photoshop?

• What is the process called that translates the image into a selected number of values?

• What media will you use to develop your finished piece?

• Who is the artist who developed a distinctive poster style in the 1890’s?

• Why does the posterized style lend itself to graphic reproduction?

• Who is the artist who used this poster style in his art work in the late ‘60’s and ‘70’s?

• How can setting the subject in a specific environment affect the overall impact of a portrait?

• Which painting contained many everyday objects that functioned as symbols to convey another level of meaning?

• Who is the artist in whose self portraits disturbing and unusual imagery was used to convey emotional and psychological states?

POP QUIZ: What do these two images have in common with respect to the lighting on the subject?

How does the lighting on the faces differ? How do the depictions of the environments differ? What are the resulting impressions?