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Portraiture
The artist and the sitter
Vincent Namatjira, Stand strong for who you are, 2020
Ambrosius Benson, Portraits of Cornelius Duplicius de Scheppere and his wife Elizabeth Donche, circa 1540
Ricky Maynard, Wik Elder, Gladys , from the series Returning to places that name us, 2000, 2000
Gordon Coutts, Waiting, (circa 1895)
William Dobell, Margaret Olley, 1948
Unknown Artist, Portrait of a nobleman, 1720-1750
CREATE | Make a portrait
Without revealing the picture, select any image of a person and describe their features to your class in detail. Consider the person’s unique qualities , facial features and expression, clothing and pose. Ask your classmates to draw or paint this person from your description. Display these works alongside the original image.
ENGAGE | The sitter and their world
Choose a portrait in which the surrounding environment reveals information about the sitter. What clues does the artist give the viewer? How do specific objects and elements inform us about the sitter and their world?
ENGAGE | The portrait and the viewer
Choose a portrait and consider the sitter’s body language, facial expression and gaze. What do these things tell you about the sitter? How do they make you feel as the viewer? Do you feel welcomed or uncomfortable? Are you being ignored or judged?
REFLECT | The artist and the sitter
Consider the relationship between sitter and artist. Does it matter whether they are strangers, acquaintances or close friends? Can an artist create a successful portrait of someone they don’t admire or agree with? Discuss this in class.
INVESTIGATE | Role of patronage
Consider the role of patronage. How might an artist cope with the tension between what the sitter looks like and how they would like to appear? Has portraiture as a genre survived through patronage alone? If not, what else has kept it alive?