PERSONAL INVESTIGATION

I have always been interested in the human form and how it !an be
"ortrayed in "hotos and "aintin#s$ I love the way in whi!h you !an
stret!h and s%uee&e the fa!e to !reate a vast array of e'"ressions$ I
feel that in the "ast "ortraits have had to be ("erfe!t) or (visually
a""ealin#) in order to be !lassed as #ood "ie!es of Art #ive eviden!e
i$e$ *nd a %uote$ +owever re!ently with the in!linin# interest in artists
su!h as ,enny Saville or -ran!is .a!on a #ood "ie!e of art doesn)t
ne!essarily have to be beautiful$ The sub/e!t in the "aintin# is not
ty"i!ally !lassed as beautiful but it is the te!hni%ue in whi!h it is
"ainted that is visually stunnin#$ As well as this beauty is often a
di0!ult thin# to de*ne as we !an tell from the "hrase (beauty is in the
eye of the beholder) 1 2ar#aret 3olfe +un#erford 456 A"ril 7899 : 5;
,anuary 78<6=$ I li>e art that !hallen#es the traditional "er!e"tions of
beauty 3hen I visited the Tate 2odern and the 3hen loo>in# at artists
su!h as Sue Rubira it is !lear that the "re!ise detail and smooth oil
"aint is im"ressive$ +owever her sub/e!ts : Older "eo"le or "eo"le
"ullin# at their fa!e are not usually !hara!teri&ed as attra!tive$ As I
e'"lored ea!h artist it hel"ed to form my %uestion What makes a
portrait beautiful? Throu#h this I am #oin# to e'"lore the di?erent
te!hni%ues used when "aintin# and I shall "aint many di?erent
sub/e!ts$
I e'"lored this idea by loo>in# at many di?erent artists su!h as @athe
@ollwit& 4,uly 8 78A6 : A"ril 55 7<;9= Lu!ien -reud 48 Be!ember
7<55 : 5C ,uly 5C77= ,enny Saville E#on S!hiele 475 78<C : O!tober
D7 7<78= -ran!is .a!on 458 O!tober 7<C< : 58 A"ril 7<<5= and Sue
Rubira 47<9< : "resent= the most si#ni*!ant bein# ,enny Saville$
To answer the %uestion (what ma>es a "ortrait beautiful) I started by
res"ondin# to artists su!h as ,enny Saville$ I found her lar#e s!aleE
!lose u" "ortraits a sour!e of #reat ins"iration and this te!hni%ue is
somethin# that I have tried to a""ly to my own wor>$
Throu#h e'"erimentin# I made the de!ision that in my own wor> I shall
only use female sub/e!ts$ I made the de!ision as to me when I thin> of
beautyE it immediately !on/ures u" ima#es of women not men$ In my
o"inion beauty is #ender e'"li!it only limited to women$
I started o? by ta>in# "hotos of female members of my !lass$ .y usin#
my own "hotos it meant that I !ould #et the sub/e!t to "ose as I
wanted and !reate new and e'!itin# "oses that are not ne!essarily
lin>ed with beauty$ 2y *rst "ortrait was of a #irl sti!>in# her ton#ue
outE I used small brushstro>es and realisti! !olours$ +owever I found
this %uite di0!ult and I didn)t li>e the *nished "rodu!t$ I then
e'"erimented with lar#er s!ale "aintin#s usin# bi##er brushes and
non1naturalisti! !olours$
In my se!ond "ie!e of "ra!ti!al wor> I made the de!ision to "aint a
!lose u" "ortrait of a woman usin# warm !olours su!h as reds "in>s
and browns$ .y "aintin# only a se!tion of the fa!e I felt I !ould
!on!entrate more on the form and detail$ 3omen are and often for!ed
to !reate a loo> in order to be visually "leasin# to the world around
them no matter what "ain she has to #o throu#h$ I !hose the "hoto as
I believe when I !ro""ed it it loo>ed as if the woman was in "ain
lin>in# ba!> to the idea that beauty isn)t "ainless$ To "aint this I used
a rounded brush whi!h hel"ed to !reate a smooth *nish whi!h didn)t
detra!t from the features of the fa!e$
3hen loo>in# at my wor> I realised that the !olours reminded me of
-ran!oise Nielly and the !olours that she)s used in her "aintin#s$ I then
thou#ht to e'"eriment with usin# a "alette >nife mu!h li>e Nielly to
!reate loose "ortraits with bri#ht and vivid !olours that don)t
ne!essarily fo!us on the features but more on the a""li!ation of
!olour$ .y relatin# !olour with "ersonality I then realised I !ould !reate
"ortraits that re"resent the "erson without fo!usin# on their beauty$
As for me I believe that a #ood "ersonality far outwei#hs a "ersons
loo>s$