Saturday, April 19, 2008
The concept of portraiture
The distinguishing feature of a proper pencil portrait is the presence of an illusion of a third dimension. This dimension should be at the heart of every portrait. The task of the portraitist is to arrange a set of an almost infinite range of shades in such a way that they create the impression of depth.
The process by which the portraitist attempts to create a photographic representation of an image is extremely restrictive, and allows no room whatsoever for 'ad libbing'. It could be said that there are three steps in the journey of a portrait to its final resting place on the sheet of paper. The first is the photo from which the picture is drawn. All pictures are two-dimensional representations that, in a way, set out to fool the observer into believing that they are alive. It is the task of the mind to re-interpret the photo as two-dimensional, whilst at the same time remaining conscious of how exactly the photo succeeds in creating the perception of the third dimension. The mid-way step of the mind holds that representation intact and makes a judgement on the best way to reconstruct it into a tangible image on the blank page. The third step involves the transporting of the image from the mind and very carefully onto the page. Through these three steps, a proper representation of the image, complete with the illusion of the third dimension, should be constructed on the page.
The aim of the portraitist on setting out to create the representation should be to bring about a state of absolute perfection. This is an unrealistic aim, as perfection is impossible. However, the portraitist, whilst conscious of this fact, must strive in vain to attain it. This is the only way in which a near-perfect portrait can be made.
What distinguishes this form of portraiture from art is the fact that no self-expression, imagination or personal interpretation is permitted. What I call the fourth aspect – a 'dimension' that is distinct from the first three and is capable of creating an atmosphere or sense of moment – is not part of the process described. I believe that this fourth aspect is an integral part of all art, and is present in portraits that are drawn from life.
In summary, I believe that my form of portraiture can be described as a craft involving intense concentration and acute judgement.
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1 comment:
Great blog, Mark, we all have our own way to "portray" what we see in a person or subject or what we believe we see. The soul, the real self remains hidden and is masked by what a person wants us to see. In addition, our view of the subject is influenced by our own present mood and feeling; somewhere along this line maybe the portrait becomes art. All the best and keep creating, Angela
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