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| Marlene Dumas |
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| Francesco Clemente |
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| Francesco Clemente |
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| Andrew Wyeth |
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| Andrew Wyeth |
The human face is simultaneously viewer and viewed, but mostly the latter: even our own faces are only accessible for us when seen from the outside, mirrored by some external object. The face is the most important part of the human being from the metaphysical, ethical, semiotic and artistic points of view: the face has the power to create whole universes. The portrait is one of the most influential genres of fine art: traditionally its aim is to represent the human face, to depict a person’s appearance and personality. Though this definition of the genre may seem simple, the last decades have not seen many significant artworks that would fully suit its prerequisites. Apparently, this kind of representation falls outside the scope of contemporary art: today the represented face is much more a means of expression than in previous times of art history. The question “What is the significance of the portrait today?” is clearly a valid and timely one. What kind of function may this genre serve in the age of photography, film and the virtual? Who does the late 20th and early 21th century portrait represent and why? What sort of social function may the genre of the portrait serve today? These are the fundamental questions of the exhibition Through a Glass Darkly which also wishes to pay homage to the memory of the art collector and museum-founder Lajos Ernst on the occasion of the one hundred year anniversary of his museum... [source website Ernst Museum]
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| Marlene Dumas |
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| John Singer Sargent |
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| Alice Neel |
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| Alice Neel |
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| Alice Neel |
In an interview with Patricia Hills in 1983, Alice Neel had this to say:
Art is a form of history. That’s only part of its function. But when I paint people, guess what I try for? Two things. One is a complete person. I used to blame myself for that, do you know why? Because Picasso had so many generalities. And mine were all– mostly a specific person. [...] A good portrait of mine has even more than just the accurate features. It has some other thing. If I have any talent in relation to people, apart from planning the whole canvas, it is my identification with them. I get so identified when I paint them, when they go home I feel frightful. I have no self–I’ve gone into this other person.
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