Sabrina Tinsley
Art History Essay
Marcus Rautman
Section: Kelsey Malone Tue 3-3:50
16 November 2015
Portraiture Throughout Cultures
Portraiture is one of the most common styles of art throughout history. It has been used to depict royalty, religious figures, and today with the advancements in technology, portraits are taken and shared with the world instantly. What defines a portrait is debatable; portraits can show a person’s true personality, or show who they want to be, that’s all up to the artist. Many cultures have different styles of creating portraits and the biggest difference between cultures is the way they choose to show the subject of the portraits. Venus of Willendorf from Willendorf Austria is an early example of portraiture. At first glance this may not seem like the conventional portrait because it isn’t a realistic depiction of a person. It may be of a specific person but it may also be an idealized rendering of the female body. Venus of Willendorf is a sculpture made of limestone; the fact that it’s a sculpture shows that the curves and roundness of the person depicted was important to the artist because a three dimensional piece …show more content…
The choice to include the entire body is reflective of the Greek cultures view on portraiture. This is an example of a portrait that shows the subject in a different way than they actually were at the time the portrait was created. The general’s head is naturalistic but the body is idealized. This is common in Republican portraits. This republican portrait style works well in Portrait of a Roman General because a general is a figure that is known to be strong and brave and a weak older man wouldn’t accurately portray what he did in his lifetime. The material the sculpture is made of is also a way the artist can show us who the subject really was. Portrait of a Roman General is made of marble. Marble is a strong yet elegant material like a roman
Art History Essay
Marcus Rautman
Section: Kelsey Malone Tue 3-3:50
16 November 2015
Portraiture Throughout Cultures
Portraiture is one of the most common styles of art throughout history. It has been used to depict royalty, religious figures, and today with the advancements in technology, portraits are taken and shared with the world instantly. What defines a portrait is debatable; portraits can show a person’s true personality, or show who they want to be, that’s all up to the artist. Many cultures have different styles of creating portraits and the biggest difference between cultures is the way they choose to show the subject of the portraits. Venus of Willendorf from Willendorf Austria is an early example of portraiture. At first glance this may not seem like the conventional portrait because it isn’t a realistic depiction of a person. It may be of a specific person but it may also be an idealized rendering of the female body. Venus of Willendorf is a sculpture made of limestone; the fact that it’s a sculpture shows that the curves and roundness of the person depicted was important to the artist because a three dimensional piece …show more content…
The choice to include the entire body is reflective of the Greek cultures view on portraiture. This is an example of a portrait that shows the subject in a different way than they actually were at the time the portrait was created. The general’s head is naturalistic but the body is idealized. This is common in Republican portraits. This republican portrait style works well in Portrait of a Roman General because a general is a figure that is known to be strong and brave and a weak older man wouldn’t accurately portray what he did in his lifetime. The material the sculpture is made of is also a way the artist can show us who the subject really was. Portrait of a Roman General is made of marble. Marble is a strong yet elegant material like a roman