Portraiture

What is your definition of a portrait? Must a portrait always include a person’s face? Should it try to be an exact physical likeness?

In the classroom, create an unconventional portrait. Write an artist’s statement to accompany the work. Curate a class exhibition titled New portraiture. Debate the topic ‘Is portraiture relevant today?’

Consider the role of the audience. Would a portrait be executed differently if it were for private viewing rather than display in a public place? Discuss.

Can a portrait based on humour and parody still be taken seriously? What roles can exaggeration, idealisation and expressionism play in successfully representing another person?

Research contemporary approaches to the self-portrait. How has the subject of the self remained relevant in contemporary art practice?

According to the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), portraiture originated in tracing lines around a human shadow. Working in pairs, use the sun or artificial light to cast a shadow of one person onto a large piece of paper on the ground. The other person outlines this shadow then fills it with words and images that best describe the person casting the shadow.