Week 8. Portraiture

Portraiture

Portraiture is a way of documenting who you are as an individual.  In todays society would assume that a portrait is a photograph, and it is but its not only a photograph it can be a painting too. Looking back throughout history portraiture has an extremely important role, a role which identifies the upper class to the lower class.
Paintings in the older days were how the rich showed off their belonging, their land, culture and possessions. Paintings such as the ones below were created by artists to show the wealthy possessions.

'Mr and Mrs Andrews' 1750. 

Painted by Thomas Gainsborough

This painting shows Mr & Mrs Andrews estate that they own, offering a view which shows their landscape. From looking at this photograph it shows how the little hunting dog looks up at his owner with respect as though Mr An dress is a well respected member of the society. Mr Andrews standing above his wife with a gun in his hand, this indicated that he is the man of the house, the provider, he loves his wife and looks out for her, he is her protector. Whereas Mrs Andrews sits down elegant, well dressed. She will be the one who gives him the heir to the property who keeps the name going. Looking over their land most likely making sure that the servants are keeping it looking perfect. Although you cannot see any servants you can tell that Mr & Mrs Andrews do not look after their own land. 

'The Arnolfinin Marriage' 1434

Painted by Jan Vn Eyck

This painting by Jan Van Eyck shows a married couple, when first looking at this portrait you would assume that they are expecting a child but in fact they are not, this is actually a new piece of clothing which is the latest trend. Looking past the couple, their interior is preserved nicely, its colourful and highly rated. They are showing their possessions and their wealth, most painting of this time where of the couple and their wealth, its all about power and who is the richest. The interior of the room is lite up showing their possession and highlighting them also. A mirror is on the wall at the back of the room, showing another figure, offering a new way of viewing things. The way that the couple is situated in the painting, looking at the audience, they acknowledge the viewer bringing them into the pictures more, this allows the viewer to be more curious at what the couple has in their possessions. 

As time goes on so does technology and this is how photography came to be the way of taking a portrait. Photography is a faster and different way of documenting the world and people within it and their possessions. Portrait photography has developed throughout time ranging from black and white to colour, it has progressed with photography.

Photographers such as the ones below took the idea of a portrait and turned it into something different, and unique. 

Photographer Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon portraits are different than what you would see when looking at a painting of a portrait, Richard's work focuses more on the subject, this is done by him using a blank background, focusing closely on their emotions, clothes and facial features. Richard Avedon was not only a portrait photographer but also a fashion photographer, i feel that looking at his portraits for example the one above, it captures the person emotion through her facial expression but i find it to be fashionable in a way, its a fashion portrait. Like the paintings above, Richard photographs the richer people and famous people. Offering the viewer a closer look at the individual and recognising them for what they have done or what they have. 

Photographed by August Sander 

August Sander a portrait and documentary photographer. August Sander as a photographer not photographs a person because of who they are but who they portray, maybe someone from the army like the photograph above, someone who is a butcher and so on. He looks for the subject as a whole and not an individual. His most well known series called 'People of the 20th Century'. this aims to photograph people of different areas of expertise, different people who show emotion, their different work ethnic, them as individuals which make a whole of something else.  His photographs document the surrounds, shows how people live, how they survive. August Sander as a photographer tries to represent the society during the Weimar Republic.  

Portrait Photography to me is capturing a moment in time, documenting it. Portraits can be used in different ways they can be a family portrait, a passport portrait, a film, a painting, a photograph. In todays society it can be anything, technology has changed so much that not only the high class people in society can use it but anyone can use, and they do not need a really expensive camera, technology has gone to a whole new level. Mobile devices, expensive cameras, disposable cameras, camcorder, a a pencil. You have the opportunity to capture a portrait with anything that you think is acceptable to use. Portraits are away of capture a specific moment in time which you can cherish for ever, a moment which you can share with others.  

Bibliography 

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/thomas-gainsborough-mr-and-mrs-andrews (27/12/2014)

FOX, A. 'Thomas Gainsborough's Mr. and Mrs Andrews' https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/english-portraiture/britain-ageof-revolution/a/thomas-gainsboroughs-mr-and-mrs-andrews (27/12/2014)

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY 'The Arnolfini Portrait' http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait (27/12/2014)

BIO 'Richard Avedon Biography' http://www.biography.com/people/richard-avedon-9193034 (27/12/2014)

'Richard Avedon' http://www.avedonfoundation.org/about/ (27/12/2014)

'August Sander Biography' http://augustsander.com (27/12/2014)