Assignment Overview
The category of portraiture, including self-portraits, has been an important part of artistic careers and production, especially portraits made by women artists and younger artists in addition to those who were more established in their careers, all throughout the centuries spanning the Renaissance of the 15th Century through Modern Art that developed in the 19th Century. Portraits and self-portraits can simultaneously reveal and hide certain physical features and character traits, which are then reinforced by the type of setting the subject is shown within as well. This week we will consider the various ways in which the category of portraiture showcased the talents of individual artists and aided in creating particular images and messages surrounding their subjects in Western art in Europe and America from the 15th through the 19th Century.
Assignment Instructions
Select one (1) artwork that is either a portrait or a self-portrait produced by an artist from any of the readings and lecture videos from this week
Artwork I chose from the reading: Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, 1830. Oil on canvas, 8′6¼″ × 10′8″. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
Provide the artist name, title of the work, medium (materials and techniques), and date(s) of the artwork for your reader.
Recreate this portrait or self-portrait and include an image of your recreation here!
Your recreation could be: 1) a selfie, 2) a photo of a friend or family member, 3) OR a drawing (digital or traditional).
Try your best to mimic the posture, the clothing, the props and/or accessories in the portrait as best as you can with what you have to work with in your immediate surroundings.
Include an image of your recreation in your response by clicking on the image icon and uploading the image in your text box.
Provide an analysis of what you perceive to be the primary purposes and meanings of the portrait or self-portrait within its original historical context AND within our 21st Century context for viewers today (one paragraph). Your analysis should provide information that answers the following questions:
What do you think was the main motivation or purpose of this portrait or self-portrait, and what visual elements help you determine that motivation and purpose specifically? Let us know what you see and what you felt and thought in making your portrait recreation that has helped you come to this conclusion.
How do you think viewers were meant to understand the person depicted in the portrait or self-portrait at the time and in the place it was made? What visual clues help you determine this understanding?
How do you think viewers would typically understand the person depicted in the portrait or self-portrait now? What aspects of contemporary culture do you think affect our understanding of this historical individual?
What do you think is the value or benefit of portraits and self-portraits in general, and what do you think is the value or benefit of them for artists in particular, based on what we have learned about artists, art, and culture in Europe and America from the 15th Century to the 19th Century?
