“The artist paints not the physical characteristics but what's inside the mind of a person”. (Leonardo da Vinci, referring to his considerable work as a portrait artist) The fine arts were in the past the only way to pass one's own image to posterity. The portrait painter's profession was highly regarded - furthermore because of it's elevated social and historical value of documentation. In the 19 th century, with the event of the photography, the painting loosed its role as a unique source in recording and reproducing the reality. By consequence the artists developed other aspects of the portrait and studied, by means of the many painting techniques, not only the physical appearance of the subject but also its inner, psychological dimension. Therefore the drawn or painted work, revealing the profound aspects of one's character and emotions, surpasses the simple, common copy of the model. |
|