Definition Post - Portraiture

Definition of "Portraiture" - a painting, photograph, sculpture or any other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.

Adjectives to describe and/or relate to the word "Portraiture" - Human, Face, Direct, Expressive, Realistic, Still, Accurate, Authentic, Characteristic, Mood, Feeling, Emotion, Self, Detailed, Official, Royal, Old, Modern, Intimate, Power, Traditional, Person, Age, Positioning, Composition, Famous, Form, Features, Identity, Classic.

I found the images below on the internet, and thought they were the best four to represent portraiture. The first image is somewhat traditional, as it is a photograph of a woman, looking directly in to the camera whilst slightly looking over her shoulder, as this is the way that she has been positioned. I like that this photo is in black and white as it makes her face look paler, and her hair, eyebrows and  clothing darker, so each detail is emphasised in some way. As the woman is the main focus, the background is plain and grey, and therefore our attention is solely paid to her. The next image I have chosen, is a painting of Kate Middleton. I chose this because obviously she is famous and has married into the royal family, which again shows the tradition of portraiture. Similarly to the first image, the background is plain, and so we concentrate on Kate Middleton's face. She is also looking directly into the camera, which makes us feel as though she is looking directly at us. I like that she has been painted in colour against a black background, so the features of her face and her hair stand out a lot more. The next image is a portrait of a man, this one however, is slightly closer, as we can barely see his clothing or body, just his face. Again, I like how this image is in black and white, because it shows the formation of his facial features. Also, this is a clear example of a portrait because he is looking directly into the camera, which is similar to most portraits of people. The next image is slightly different from the rest. Firstly, it is all in colour, so we are able to see the colour of the woman's skin, eyes, hair etc., but it is also extremely close-up to her face, which makes her eyes look bigger, and as a result we concentrate on them.

My own definition of Portraiture - a composed photograph, painting, drawing (or any other artistic format) of a person in a still position.