Our
links above investigate the variety of styles and techniques
that artists choose to create portraits of themselves and
their subjects.
Click
on a picture above for an evaluation of that artist's work.
- Artists
use a wide range of media for portraiture, including drawing,
printing, painting, sculpture, photography and multimedia.
- Some
artists may wish display their artistic skill in capturing
an exact likeness of their subject by using a very realistic
painting technique.
- Some
artists may wish to express their subjects inner personality
by simplifying or emphasising the shapes, colours, tones
or textures of the portrait for dramatic effect.
- Some
artists may reduce their subject to abstract elements
where the style or expressive power of the image is more
important than a physical resemblance to the sitter.
- Backgrounds,
locations or objects associated with the subject often
have a strong effect on the way we interpret a portrait.
