Example Of What Makes A Picture With One Or More People A Portrait? Article Review

WHAT MAKESA PICTURE WITH ONE OR MORE PEOPLE A PORTRAIT? WHY IS PORTRAITURE VALUABLE AND WHAT MAKES FOR A GREAT PORTRAIT? CAN YOU HAVE A PORTRAIT OF A FICTIONAL CHARACTER?

The generally accepted definition says that portrait is a painted presentation of one or more people. However, it is important to underline that the main subject has to be the person or several people, not an event they take part in. This fact was mentioned in the work “Portraiture” as it is what distinguishes a portrait from a picture with people on it. According to Cynthia Freeland, a portrait is a depiction of a live human being presented as a individuality with unique physical body that has some inner world, character and the one that can take part in a creative process by posing for a portraiture.

Why is portraiture valuable and what makes for a great portrait?

This definition perfectly describes the real value and meaning of a portrait. The fact that a person has to be alive at the moment of painting is not completely correct as there is number of known portraits of people made after their death. But, the portraitist has to know person he/she is making a portrait of. Moreover, the depiction of a particular character and physical individuality underlines the high level professionalism of an artist. The key for a great portrait is “subjectification’ - the ability to present the personality of an individual, to show the unique features of character, spiritual condition, thoughts and feelings as it was mentioned in “Portraits in painting and photography”. Moreover, the individual qualities of a person have to be real and supported by the personal experience of a n artists of the reliable resources that have fixed this information.

Can you have a portrait of a fictional character?

One of the most interesting topics within the area of portraiture is whether or not it is possible to create a portrait of a fictional character. Paolo Spinicci here says that there are a number of cases when it is impossible to find any portraits made during life time of the individual, or to meet people who knew him personally. The best example is Aristotle proposed in “Portraits: Some Phenomenological Remarks” – the ancient scientist and philosopher. He used to be an outstanding person and had a specific importance for the development of a serious number of contemporary areas of science. However, his portrait can be based only on the ancient documents that have fixed some features of his appearance and character. However, the majority of sources can also be regarded as not absolutely trustworthy. A portrait of a fictional character therefore can be created, but the one has to be based on the specific features and character of this character existed before the act of portrait creation.