Portraiture and Installation Arts
Course Title
Professor
Name of the School
The City and State
Date
Portraiture Art
Portraiture is the art or a way of making portraits. In some instances, it can be interchangeably used with words such as photograph, model, sculpture, image, portrayal, painting, or even representation (Sage, 2006, 13). The facial expression of the individual portrayed is critical in this form of art. It also requires that the portrait be stationary and directly looking at the viewers so as the idea of individuality, character, mood, and even personality effectively is caught, understood, and appreciated by the viewers (Tanner, 2006).
In the history of art, it is evident from prehistoric and historical portraiture that this form of art existed as far as 9000 BC (Tanner, 2006). This vibrant art history shows that in the ancient days in the Middle East, a vast population had respect when it comes to burying their beloved ones, as evidenced from archeological discoveries of skulls below what is believed to be their ancestral homes. In the recent past, most portraitures have been seen on different backgrounds, valuable objects, and also on stone walls or even floors. This has been used purposely to preserve some critical information, especially in various museums and archives. For instance, there are some communities and states that have put great personalities portraits on coins or walls of historic buildings (Tanner, 2006).
There are different types of portraiture, depending on use or purpose, time, and need. For instance: political portraits, official portraits, literature portraits, self-portrait, and even portrait photography. Political portraits take effect in situations when pictures of leaders such as kings, queens, presidents, governors, or even mayors are displayed in most government offices, business premises, or even public places and institutions. This is meant to represent national symbols and unity, especially in the case of the head of state portraits. For official portrait, a photograph of a nation, state, or municipality is made, decorated very well with national or country flags. Sometimes unique coded colors can be used.
In literature, portraits are exhibited differently. It is presented in writings that deeply describe and analyze individuals from all walks of life or different things that exist in a natural environment. At times it can comprise facts or fictions, and most of them play a vital role as sources of information for future generations. They are written based on the information the writer intends to disseminate to the readers. For instance, one can write a portrait on “portrait on corruption,” here the writer may want to bring out the origin of corruption, and parties involved individual and community effects of corruption (Tanner, 2006). On self-portrait, the artist involved creates or makes a portrait of themselves, alone or together with their spouses, offspring or kins.
Examples include
- Le Reve (1932) Pablo Picasso- Private collection of Steven Cohen
- Mona Lisa (1517) – Leonardo da Vinci- The Louvre Museum, Paris
Installation-Art
This is a form of art kind of communication usually three-dimension in nature and puts into consideration site-specificity in matters space (Bishop, 2005, 12). In most cases, this sort of art is constructed interiorly as opposed to exterior, but the boundaries are believed to be negligible. Installation-art makes use of assorted materials. They are also of two high categories, varying from permanent and temporary ones, depending on location, materials used, and purpose of the artistic work.
Installation-art serves to convey an essential form of information entertainingly and critically since audiences are in an open position to interpret the message in ways that suit them (Bishop, 2005). This type of art is normally created in various interior spaces that range from private, public, and even museums where the natural world is exhibited to the public more artistically. This form of art started in the mid-’60s.
This piece of art draws viewers’ inspirations since it brings together the concepts and the values of the other artistic works such as photography, sculpture, painting, music, and even written literature. It has an appealing to most of the target audience due to the inclusivity mentioned above and harmonization (Bishop, 2005). Another thing that makes this piece of art to be more interesting is the use of every day locally available objects such as plastics, metals, or the combination of several objects. Besides, the beautiful finish they have that comprises of a well-thought mix of colors. Installation-art has, with time, undergone evolution due to changes in technology. This has seen it being conveyed, for instance, through video installations, among other multimedia infrastructures that have enabled the work to reach people from all environments.
This kind of art also gives the viewers a memorable experience, which is one of the objectives of the artist. This is brought about by the fact that the viewer is left to observe, evaluate, analyze, and interpret the artistic work (Bishop, 2005). What the viewer takes away with them varies with space and time. In most cases, interactive installation involves; digital-based, web-based, mobile-based, and even electronic-based installations. A good number of them require the audience to participate in the art activity of the users. Artists encourage the audience to join in their work (Bishop, 2005). For instance, the use of sensors, which, when looked upon by the audience, react based on their body movement.
Examples of this art include
- Maurice Benayoun-Neorizon which was done in 2008-Located in Shanghai China
References
Bishop, C., 2005. Installation Art. Tate.
Sage, A. (2006). “Cave face ‘the oldest portrait on record’ as. ” London: The Times. Archived from
the original on July 24, 2008.
Tanner, J. (2006). The Invention of Art History in Ancient Greece: Religion, Society and Artistic
Rationalization. Cambridge University Press. p. 97.