Aportrait is apainting,photograph,sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait can be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better represents personality and mood, this type of presentation may be chosen. The intent is to display the likeness,personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not asnapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer, but portrait can be represented as a profile (from aside) and 3/4.
Plastered human skulls were reconstructed human skulls that were made in the ancientLevant between 9000 and 6000 BC in thePre-Pottery Neolithic B period. They represent some of the oldest forms of art in theMiddle East and demonstrate that the prehistoric population took great care in burying theirancestors below their homes. The skulls denote some of the earliest sculptural examples of portraiture in thehistory of art.[3]
Some of the earliest surviving painted portraits of people who were not rulers are the Greco-Romanfuneral portraits that survived in the dry climate of Egypt'sFaiyum district. These are almost the only paintings from the classical world that have survived, apart fromfrescos, though many sculptures and portraits on coins have fared better. Although the appearance of the figures differs considerably, they are considerably idealized, and all show relatively young people, making it uncertain whether they were painted from life.
The art of the portrait flourished in Ancient Greek and especiallyRoman sculpture, where sitters demanded individualized and realistic portraits, even unflattering ones. During the 4th century, the portrait began to retreat in favor of an idealized symbol of what that person looked like. (Compare the portraits of Roman EmperorsConstantine I andTheodosius I at their entries.) In theEurope of theEarly Middle Ages representations of individuals are mostly generalized. True portraits of the outward appearance of individuals re-emerged in the lateMiddle Ages, intomb monuments,donor portraits, miniatures inilluminated manuscripts and thenpanel paintings.
Moche culture of Peru was one of the few ancient civilizations which produced portraits. These works accurately represent anatomical features in great detail. The individuals portrayed would have been recognizable without the need for other symbols or a written reference to their names. The individuals portrayed were members of the ruling elite, priests, warriors and even distinguished artisans.[5] They were represented during several stages of their lives. The faces of gods were also depicted. To date, no portraits of women have been found. There is particular emphasis on the representation of the details of headdresses, hairstyles, body adornment and face painting.
One of the best-known portraits in the Western world isLeonardo da Vinci's painting titledMona Lisa, which is a painting ofLisa del Giocondo. What has been claimed as the world's oldest known portrait was found in 2006 in theVilhonneur grotto nearAngoulême and is thought to be 27,000 years old.[6][7]
When the artist creates a portrait of himself or herself, it is called a “self-portrait.” Identifiable examples become numerous in the late Middle Ages. But if the definition is extended, the first was by theEgyptianPharaohAkhenaten's sculptor Bak, who carved a representation of himself and his wife Taheric. 1365 BC. However, it seems likely that self-portraits go back to thecave paintings, the earliest representational art, and literature records several classical examples that are now lost.
Official portraits are photographs of important personalities, such as kings, politicians, or business executives. The portrait is usually decorated with official colors and symbols such as aflag, presidential stripes, or acoat of arms, belonging to a country, state, or municipality. The image may be used during events or meetings, or on products.[8] A well-known example is theportraying of presidents of the United States, a tradition that has existed since the country's founding.
Portrait photography is a popular commercial industry all over the world. Many people enjoy having professionally madefamily portraits to hang in their homes, or special portraits to commemorate certain events, such as graduations or weddings.
Since the dawn of photography, people have made portraits. The popularity of thedaguerreotype in the middle of the 19th century was due in large part to the demand for inexpensive portraiture. Studios sprang up in cities around the world, some cranking out more than 500 plates a day. The style of these early works reflected the technical challenges associated with 30-second exposure times and thepainterly aesthetic of the time. Subjects were generally seated against plain backgrounds and lit with the soft light of an overhead window and whatever else could be reflected with mirrors.
As photographic techniques developed, an intrepid group of photographers took their talents out of the studio and onto battlefields, across oceans and into remote wilderness.William Shew'sDaguerreotype Saloon,Roger Fenton'sPhotographic Van andMathew Brady'sWhat-is-it? wagon set the standards for making portraits and other photographs in the field.Some photographers took the technique to other countries.Augustus Washington moved to Monrovia, Liberia from Hartford, Connecticut and created daguerreotype portraits for many political leaders for the country.
Inpolitics, portraits of the leader are often used as asymbol of thestate. In most countries, it is common protocol for a portrait of thehead of state to appear in importantgovernment buildings.
Inliterature the termportrait refers to a written description or analysis of a person or thing. A written portrait often gives deep insight, and offers an analysis that goes far beyond the superficial. For example, the American authorPatricia Cornwell wrote a best-selling 2002 book entitledPortrait of a Killer about the personality, background, and possible motivations ofJack the Ripper, as well as the media coverage of his murders, and the subsequent police investigation of his crimes.
However, in literature a portrait of a character is a subtle combination of fact and fiction, exploring the individual psychology of the character in the wider context of their environment. When the subject of the narrative is a historical figure, then the writer is free to create a compelling and dramatic portrait of the person that draws on imaginative invention for verisimilitude. An example isHilary Mantel'sWolf Hall (2009) which, while acknowledging the work of the historian Mary Robertson for background information, imagines an intimate portrait ofThomas Cromwell and his intense relationship withHenry VIII at a critical time in English history. It could be argued that in literature any portrait is a discreet assembly of facts, anecdotes, and author's insights.Plutarch'sParallel Lives, written in the 2nd century AD, offer a prime example of historical literary portraits, as a source of information about the individuals and their times. Painted portraits can also play a role in literature. These can be fictional portraits, such as that of Dorian Gray inthe eponymous 1891 novel byOscar Wilde. But sometimes also real portraits feature in literature. An example is the portrait ofRichard III that plays a role inJosephine Tey's 1951 novelThe Daughter of Time.[9]
