Portraits and Photography – Second Discussion Group 4

From 2021SP-ART-100-4661

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Prior to the invention of photography, portrait painting was reserved for royalty, the wealthy, or important members of society because it was expensive and required a lot of time. Photography opened up the possibilities for the average person to capture their likeness in a portrait. Portraits both painted and photographed capture not only the likeness of the sitter, but may also reveal something of the sitter’s personality. Examine the paintings, sculpture and photographs below.

Tomika Te Mutu of Coromandel, Maori chief, New Zealand, nineteenth Century

Michelangelo Buonarroti, David, Italy, 1501-1504

Male Torso (Ancestor figure), Baule, Africa, c. nineteenth-twentieth centuries

Mariko Mori, Star Doll, Japan, 1998

Rembrandt Van Rijn, Self-Portrait, Netherlands, 1669

Lucien Freud, Leigh under the Skylight, Britain, 1994

Nancy Burson, Untitled image from Faces, United States, 1992

Chuck Close, Fanny (Fingerpainting), United States, 1985

Vincent Van Gogh, Portrait of Dr. Gachet, Netherlands, 1890.

Shimomura Kanzan, Study for the Portrait of Okakura Tenshin, Japan, 1922.

Nefertiti, Egypt, c. 1350 BCE

What do these images say about each of the subjects? Give examples. How did portraits change during the 20th century?

How did they change since the invention of the smart phone in the 21st century?

Post your answer and respond to all in your group within 24 hours of the due date. You may and should respond to the responses you get.