Transcript The Portrait History File

The Portrait
A Brief History of Portraits
Rome was a republic for many years
(Republic = No King/Queen, With King/Queen =
Monarchy)
Then Julius Caesar took sole power as dictator in
49 B.C. and after his death Augustus became the
first Emperor of Rome. The Roman people were
nervous about having a man in charge who might
behave like a king (they were very proud of being a
republic with a senate in charge)
Augustus had this statue made, and copies were
distributed in all major cities throughout the Roman
Empire.
This portrait was designed to present Augustus in a
particular way to the people.
What did Augustus want his portrait to ‘say’ to the
Roman people? …. Discuss.
A Brief History of Portraits
Pose (contraposto) … (He will take Rome
forward to greater conquest, power and
wealth)
Hand points upward & forward ... (Similar to
the pose, he will take Rome upwards to
greater conquest, power and wealth)
Clothing = that of a soldier and a Senator
(man of the people but also strong and will
defend Rome)
Facial Expression … (He is calm, serene and
looks like a fair and honest man)
No crown – not even the laurel crown which
Roman victors wore … so he’s not trying to
be a king.
Little angel (putti) … (Even the Gods favour
this man!)
For many years the major patron
of art was the Church and most
portraits would be of religious
figures (Christ, Saints, Disciples,
Martyrs etc).
Piero della Francesca,
Baptism of Christ 1445
Jan Van Eyck, Christ,
15th century
Kings, Queens and
aristocrats of high status
also commissioned
portraits.
Why did poor people not
commission portraits?
Holbein, King Henry VIII, 1536
During the Renaissance
(around 1400 to 1600)
there was a great revival in
literature, science and art.
‘Ordinary’ wealthy people
started to commission
portraits.
Leonardo da Vinci, La Gioconda (Mona Lisa), 1503-6
Thomas Gainsborough, Mr and
Mrs Andrews, 1748-9
Joshua Reynolds, Lieutenant-Colonel
Banastre Tarleton, 1782
In 1837 the first permanent photographic
process is discovered …
Early Dagguerotype
Portrait by Julia Margaret Cameron
The photograph could record exactly what a person looked like and was
much cheaper than a painting.
Kertesz
Photographic portraits can also
capture fleeting moments more
easily than painting.
August Sander
A ‘conventional’ portrait (rather
like a traditional painted portrait).
Do you think that
this portrait
photograph
depicts a
conventional
portrait or a
fleeting moment?
Richard Avedon
So what happened to the painted portrait
after the discovery of photography in 1837?
Van Gogh, Self Portrait, 1885
Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893
Marcel Duchamp,
Nude descending a
staircase, 1912
(painting)
How might
photography have
influenced the making
of this painted portrait?
Pablo Picasso,
Dora Maar seated,
1941
Willem de Kooning, Woman, 1944
Head VI, Francis Bacon, 1949
After the discovery of photography many portrait
painters became photographers.
Many of the artists who wanted to carry on
painting now experimented by portraying the
world in new and exciting ways.
Photography changed Art.
What about photographic portraits today?
The portrait is used in many
different ways in our modern world.
What is the purpose or use of a portrait?
(think about the images you have seen and what
they were ‘for’)