Portrait - a word of French origin(portrait), meaning "portray". The portrait genre is a type of visual art dedicated to the transfer of the image of one person, as well as a group of two or three people on a canvas or paper sheet. Of particular importance is the style chosen by the artist. Drawing a person's face in a portrait is one of the most difficult areas in painting. The master of the brush must convey the characteristic signs of appearance, emotional state, inner world of the posing. The size of the portrait determines its appearance. The image can be busting, generational, waist or full-length. The pose implies three perspectives: face (full face), three-quarter turn in one direction or another, and in profile. Portrait as a genre of fine art, contains a limitless possibilities for the implementation of artistic ideas. First, a sketch is made, then directly drawing.
History of the portrait genre
The oldest attempt to portray a person’s facehas 27 thousand years. The "picture" was discovered in a cave, not far from the French city of Angouleme. The portrait is a contoured chalk outline that vaguely resembles the features of a human face. The ancient artist outlined the main lines of the eyes, nose, mouth. Later (also in the caves) in the Balkans and in Italy, clearer and more definite images began to appear, among which faces painted in profile prevailed. It is human nature to create, talented people cannot live without leaving a trace behind. It can be a pattern laid out of pebbles in the middle of a field, a carved ornament on the bark of a tree, someone's face painted with charcoal on a rock. There are plenty of opportunities for creativity.
Sculptures
Once the portrait genre of incarnation insculpture, because in ancient times there were no artists who thoroughly owned a brush and are able to convey the play of light and shadow. The image of the face in the clay succeeded better, and therefore, in those ancient times, it was the stucco portraits that dominated. The art of painting appeared much later, when humanity realized the need for cultural communication.
Burials
The appearance of images close to the drawing is alsorefers to a later period, and the first portraits were found in the ancient eastern territories. In the Egyptian state there was a deification of the departed. At burial, a kind of portrait was created, which was conventionally considered a double of the deceased. The principle of mummification and then portraying appeared. The history of the portrait genre contains many examples of cult images in both drawing and sculpture. The drawings of the faces of the departed became more and more similar to the original. And then copying the face of the departed to another world was replaced with a mask. Egyptian departed were buried in sarcophagi, on the lid of which the deceased was depicted in full growth with a beautiful stylized face. Such funerals were arranged exclusively for the nobility. Egyptian pharaohs, for example, were placed not only in the sarcophagus, but also in the tomb, which was a huge structure.
Variety of solutions
The artist has a choice when writing a portrait:to depict a person’s face and clothing in accordance with the original or to be creative, creating a refined creative picture. The main condition for this is the similarity, which plays a dominant role. An independent painting genre is portrait art, open to the widest range of experiments. The artist has the opportunity to improve their skills by applying the latest technical achievements.
And indeed, crucial to achievingthe optimal result has the technique of execution. The most common way of portrait painting by professional artists is oil painting on canvas. This style goes back centuries. It was used by artists of antiquity. Their works have survived to this day. Portrait as a genre of fine art has existed since time immemorial, and today it is a popular means of artistic expression.
Dry Brush
В последнее время становится популярной методика “dry brush”, when an image is created not by brush strokes, but by rubbing a small amount of paint. The brush is almost dry, and the method itself allows you to get beautiful undertones. Since the thinnest painting genre is portrait, and the face image in paints requires precisely delicate shades, the “dry brush” technique is suitable for this purpose as well as possible.
Types
Portrait genre is divided into several types:ceremonial, intimate, intimate and plot. There is also a special type called self-portrait, when the artist depicts himself. As a rule, this is a purely individual pattern. In general, the portrait genre is a completely independent type of painting, subject to certain rules. These rules are never violated, although their scope may be extended under certain circumstances.
In addition to those already listed, there is anotherportrait genre, which includes special artistic features, a specialized variety that requires a systematic approach. This is a costume portrait when a modern person in past-time clothing is depicted on a canvas. The range of plots is not limited: from the skins in which primitive man wore, to the wedding attire of the Renaissance. In this portrait variety there are elements of theatricality. In the Russian Federation, especially in Moscow, the costumed portrait became widespread, but this did not happen in favor of fashion, but rather as a tribute to art.
Portrait art genre
Picturesque canvases painted at different timescombines one prerequisite - the paintings must be authentic. An important role is played by the portrait component, and in other words - the image of the faces of the characters. The success of the painting depends on how carefully the facial features are written. The expression of eyes, smiles or, on the contrary, frowning eyebrows, all the nuances should be reflected on the canvas. The task is not easy, but the reliability factor testifies to the skill of the artist. That is why the genre of portrait art is so unambiguous and requires the full return of the master. Experienced artists are best able to picture, in the plot of which there are people, their faces close up and accentuated movement.
Literary portraits
Writers, as well as artists, quite oftendepict the face of a man. Literary methods for this are much more, the rich Russian language allows the use of numerous artistic forms, turns and phrases. The goal to which the writer is striving is identical in meaning to the artist’s conception, the writer describes the facial expression as a result of a person’s moods, a reflection of his thoughts, emotions and experiences. The genre of a literary portrait is rather complicated. Describe the need to avoid superficial formulations. This requires the skill of the true creator. Among the Russian writers, capable of expressing in a few words the essence of human form, in the first place is the great Maxim Gorky. His American follower, William Faulkner, also masterfully mastered the art of verbal portrait drawing. The genre of a literary portrait is diverse, the description follows a certain style, it can be cheerful or sad, brief or lengthy, it all depends on each individual work.
The photo
With the advent of daguerreotype, the possibilities have expanded.fine art, and portraits are no exception. Photo portrait was much cheaper than oil painting, and recognition was 100%. And although the artists sarcastically noted that photography is “painting for the poor,” the general public turned towards a more accurate image on a silver-coated plate. The portrait photography genre quickly became fashionable, and there was no end to those who wanted to capture themselves and their loved ones.
However, the new method, the daguerreotype, had itslimitations. Photography, in contrast to the picturesque portrait, did not allow to change anything. The image froze once and for all, it was impossible to fix something. And if you consider that the person was photographed while sitting or standing (in a tense posture), then he came out in the picture not in the best way. Therefore, there were many disappointments, complaints and discontent. Nevertheless, portraits caught on, people learned to pose artistically, and everything fell into place.
