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Portraiture
Familiar faces
Kaylene Whiskey, Dolly visits Indulkana, 2020
Agnolo Bronzino, Cosimo I de’ Medici in armour, circa 1545
Zhang Xiaogang, Big family no.4, 2007
Brenda L Croft, Thea, Hetti and Tyson Perkins, from the series The Big Deal is Black, 1993
Julian Rosefeldt, Manifesto, 2014-2015
Charlene Carrington, My dad, Churchill Cann, 2020
Michael Parekowhai, The English Channel, 2015
CREATE | Family and friends
Create a group portrait of your family, friends or class. Capture the facial expressions and poses that best represent the personality of each person.
CREATE | Commissioned artwork
You have been commissioned by someone in your class to create a portrait of them. Meet with them to discuss what they want to portray about themselves through the artwork. How can you put your own artistic stamp on the commissioned artwork?
REFLECT | The choice of the artist
‘One is never satisfied with the portrait of a person one knows’ –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1808.
Create a portrait of a person you know. What choices can you make about composition, colour, line, scale, surface quality, materials and techniques to enhance the viewer’s understanding of this person? Do you think it is a help or hindrance to know your subject personally? Discuss Goethe’s observation. Do you agree with him?
INVESTIGATE | Being famous
What makes someone famous? How does a portrait subject’s fame affect the way audiences respond? Discuss how a famous face determines the success of a portrait. Does portrait painting elevate a person’s notoriety or fame?
ENGAGE | Curate an exhibition
Organise an “Almost famous” exhibition featuring artworks and images of people who are important to you. Include a label for each and discuss why the subject is so valuable in your life.