![]() ![]() ![]() Quite a few artists over the centuries have distinguished themselves through portraiture. Gertrude Stein poses in front of the portrait of her that Picasso painted in 1906. Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic “Mona Lisa,” John Singer Sargent’s sultry portrait of Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau (known popularly as “Madame X”) and Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein are among the most celebrated works of western art. Hans Holbein the Younger’s 16th century paintings of Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell undoubtedly capture what these two looked like, although it has been assumed that the serious and humble expression worn on More’s face, and the pudgy, beady-eyed visage of Cromwell suggest not only their appearance but the artist’s opinion of each man. (They’ve analyzed King Tutankhamun’s skeleton, he was almost certainly was not as stately as artisans of the time portrayed him.) The earliest depictions were often highly stylized, or idealized, fitting an idea of grandeur more than verisimilitude. The original signs of art might have been humans leaving traces of themselves with handprints on cave walls, but soon after, they turned this newfound skill to making records of their leaders. Portraiture has a long history in art, with images of pharaohs, popes, kings, noblemen and political figures the first to be enshrined in paint. But then, portraits have always been newsmakers: as much for how they represent a person as for how they don’t. And in all these cases-true to life, flattering, boring or seemingly fresh-one thing is certain, they do have a way of sticking around. What’s with the renewed interest in portraiture? Perhaps it’s because paintings of people permit viewers to do something that otherwise is thought of as rude -to stare at someone -and, in this age of selfies and other forms of self-regard, they add a level of interpretation that is proving refreshing to audiences. Bush), as well as combat veterans, have garnered the former president some bemusement and surprising praise. Bush’s painted portraits of international leaders (Vladimir Putin, the Dalai Lama and George H.W. The current exhibition of paintings by David Hockney at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, “ David Hockney: 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life” (continuing through July 29), features seated portraits of known figures (artist John Baldessari and gallery owner Larry Gagosian among them) alongside less well-known ones. ![]() Kehinde Wiley/Sean Kelly GalleryĪnd it isn’t just these two artists getting contemporary acclaim for work that happens to feature human likenesses. They were also attention-grabbing because they harnessed the contemporary star power of their makers-one an emerging name from Baltimore getting noticed for her socially conscious portraiture, the other already commanding astronomical prices-both known for making space in contemporary art for painting likenesses not to hang in board rooms, but on cutting-edge gallery walls. They weren’t just remarkable because they showed these two stately figures in a more imaginative and informal style than is customary. The recently unveiled paintings of President Barack Obama by Kehinde Wiley and former First Lady Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald-paid for with private funds and in the permanent collection of Washington, D.C.’s National Portrait Gallery-grabbed the attention of the art world. In other words, a lot of portraits out there don’t exactly distinguish themselves.īut there are occasions where portraits rise above the what-did-he-look-like monotony to achieve a certain prominence. Or if you haven’t, maybe you didn’t notice it was there. You’ve seen this picture plenty: Old guy in a suit and tie with a dark background. At least, not the commissioned ones that are painted or sculpted as a way of honoring someone-a family member, corporate CEO, government official, judge, church leader or generally moneyed person-and then displayed in that person’s home, office or other place of business. Most portraits don’t find their way into museum collections, however. ![]()
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