1000 Portraits of Genius
Описание книги
According to the predominant standards, a portrait should be a faithful representation of its model. However, this is not always the case. This gallery of 1,000 portraits illustrates how the genre has been transformed throughout history, and has proven itself to be much more complex than a simple imitation of reality. Beyond exhibiting the artist’s skill, the portrait must surpass the task of imitation, as just and precise as it may be, to translate both the intention of the artist as well as that of its patron, without betraying either’s wishes. Therefore, these silent witnesses, carefully selected in these pages, reveal more than faces of historic figures or anonymous subjects: they reveal a psychology more than an identity, illustrate an allegory, serve as political and religious propaganda, and embody the customs of their epochs. With its impressive number of masterpieces, biographies, and commentaries on works, this book presents and analyses different portraits, giving a reflection of the evolution of society, and above all the upheavals of a genre that has dramatically shaped the history of art.
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1. The Venus of Brassempouy, also called “The Lady with the Hood”, Grotte du Pape, Brassempouy, Landes, Upper Paleolithic, Gravettian, c. 21,000 B.C.E. Mammoth ivory, height: 3.65 cm. Musée d’archéologie nationale, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Since Antiquity portraits have been commissioned to represent important people, figures, heroes and gods. Over time, this artistic genre has evolved from the embellished Greek marble sculptures to contemporary paintings, photography and abstract works. While the specific aesthetic style of the portrait often varies over time, the main purpose of portraiture, has remained consistent-to depict the personality, characteristics or essence of a person or important figure by using the face as the dominant feature of the composition.
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69. Polykleitus (active during the 5th century B.C.E.), Diadumenos (young man binding his hair), Diadumenos House, Delos, Classical style, 10 °C.E. Roman copy of a Greek original, c. 450–425 B.C.E. Marble, height: 195 cm. National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
70. Lysippos (c. 395–305 B.C.E.), Hermes Fastening His Sandal, 2nd century Roman copy after Greek original, Classical style, middle of the 4th century. Marble, height: 161 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
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