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From ancient times until today, the portrait has shown us basic truths about humanity and identity, regardless of the theme.
“Portrait stands apart from other genres of art as it marks the crossroads between portrait, biography and history. “When people look at portraits, they think they’re meeting that person,” said Alison Smith, curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Although few examples of portraits have survived from the Middle Ages, those that have served purposes similar to those of classical times. The stunning life-size mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna – dating back to the 6th century – are a particularly spectacular demonstration of power.
Independent portraits of those in the middle ranks of society did not appear until the 15th century with the Arnolfian Marriage of Jan van Eyck from 1434 which was one of the best known. Even someone as powerful as Queen Elizabeth I knew that her authority lay in her image as the “Virgin Queen”, married to England.
The growing importance of portraiture was strengthened in the 17th century, when the Royal French Academy established a hierarchy of genres and placed it second only to history painting.
An important part of artistic expression has certainly been the self-portrait. Van Gogh’s iconic self-portrait with his bandaged ear, painted after he cut off part of his ear after an argument with Gauguin, is a powerful demonstration of his determination to continue painting despite the trauma.
While in the past it was really a sign of rank, status or celebrity, I think now the portrait has more to do with the identity the curator at the National Gallery of Portraits in London.
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