In this lecture, the first of two, we explore the history and many potentials of the genre of portraiture through an analysis of a few selected examples.

With Tom Richards’s direction, we delve into particular facets of the artworks such as their historical context and various compositional and technical decisions. The selected works cover a diverse range, and as we are guided from artworks such as a sculpture by Bernini, to painted portraits inserted on mummies, and portraits by Titian, Tintoretto, and Moroni, we are explained and asked to consider aspects of the artworks such as if the portrait in question is the focus or a part of a larger work, the identity of the subject and their relationship to the artist, how the artist captures the life of the subject, and the purpose behind the portrait’s creation. Through these lines of inquiry and more we learn to better understand these portraits – not only as individual works, but how they fit into the grander scheme of Art History as well.

This lecture was originally recorded as part of a joint Art History-Materials lecture at the Florence Academy of Art with Tom Richards and Toby Neve who demonstrated how to mix lead white oil paint by hand. Being so, discussion of lead white paint and its use in portraiture recurs in this lecture.

Click below for more info about the artworks featured in this lecture!