Art School: Portraiture in Contemporary Art
In this month’s Art School lesson we are taking an in depth look at how contemporary artists attempt to redefine portraiture. From references to classical techniques to signs, symbols, objects or words that stand in for the figure, contemporary artists continue the rich tradition of portraiture through both a celebration and critique of this genre.
One of the most talented contemporary portrait artists was Chuck Close, who was renowned for his inventive techniques of painting the human face. His breakthrough painting came in 1968, with his large-scale photo-based portrait, “Big Self-Portrait” which is 9 feet tall and nearly 7 feet wide. From a distance, it could easily be mistaken for a photograph, but the magic reveals itself upon closer inspection. It took Close three months to paint, using an airbrush filled with diluted acrylic paint applied in razor thin layers. Literally. He scratched some of the layers off with a razor blade and an electric eraser!
Chuck Close, “Big Self-Portrait”, 1968, Acrylic on Canvas
In 1988, Close became paralyzed after suffering from a rare spinal artery collapse. He lost all feeling from the neck down, but through sheer determination and daily rehabilitation, he was eventually able to put his hands together to be able to “hold” a paintbrush again. He left the hospital 8 months later, once again creating paintings of a similar quality and caliber to those he created prior to his paralysis.
He continued to paint using a brush-holding device strapped to his wrist and forearm, and utilized a structure that allowed him to rotate his canvas. His work shifted away from Photorealism, towards using a grid system that consists of hundreds of miniature paintings that function like pixels in a digital image. Up close, they look like small abstract paintings, made up of brushstrokes, tiny dots, or even thumbprints, but from a distance, they come together to reveal a face.
Chuck Close, “Self-Portait”, 2000, 111 Color Silkscreen, Hand-drawn Separations
One of my favorite portrait artists is Kehinde Wiley. He disrupts the long tradition of Western portrait painting by presenting black and brown men in powerful poses, mimicking the heroic portraiture of Europe. His work draws attention to the absence of black men and women from historical and cultural narratives, using the visual vocabulary of traditional portraiture to portray power.
Kehinde Wiley, “Equestrian Portrait of Prince Tommaso of Savoy-Carignan”, 2015, Oil on Canvas
“Painting is about the world that we live in. Black men live in the world. My choice is to include them. This is my way of saying yes to us.” -Kehinde Wiley
His paintings are stunning and highly realistic. He often uses decorative patterns based on textiles from various cultures, such as Africa-inspired Dutch wax-resist fabrics. The grand scale, incredible technique, and vibrant colors are awe inspiring. They are both a celebration and a critique, aiming for social justice by giving African-Americans their rightful place in the Western pantheon while simultaneously making a mockery of the pantheon itself. I will never skip a chance to see a Kehinde Wiley painting in person! You might have seen this one before…
Kehinde Wiley, “Former President Barack Obama”, 2018, Oil on Canvas
The final artist we will look at today is Cecily Brown, who creates vivid and atmospheric depictions of fragmented bodies, entangled with swells of color and gestural brushstrokes. Like Wiley, she often works on a grand scale, and draws inspiration from the grand masters of the art historical canon. She maintains a tensions between abstraction and figurative content, creating a puzzle of sorts.
Cecily Brown, “Be Nice to the Big Blue Sea”, 2013, Oil on Linen
“I’ve always wanted to be able to convey figurative imagery in a kind of shorthand, to get it across in as direct a way as possible.” -Cecily Brown
Brown believes that paintings should not have a fixed meaning, but should instead reflect the flux of being in the world. They often appear as if they are a fuzzy memory, one the viewer is actively trying to render more clearly. I love the movement that is expressed through her brushstrokes, and the invitation she extends to the viewer to become a part of the process.
All of the artists we discussed today have a close relationship with the traditional and the canon of art history - a celebration of the mastery, as well as a critique of the limitations. What’s next for portraiture? What do you think the next twenty years will bring for the genre?
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