Portraits Through Time

Portraiture has fascinated audiences over centuries beyond simply the famous Mona Lisa by Da Vinci, including Picasso, Van Gogh, Vermeer, and Warhol. Through examining portrait works of different artists in different time periods, I will study the different methods of portraying the human face and how the compositional choices convey different messages to the audience. Many more realistic portraits seem to focus on capturing the beauty of the human face, but more abstract portraits have been popularized, indicating factors outside of physical beauty that play a role in a portraits' success. I plan to create a series of self-portraits, each mimicking the style, medium, and composition of an iconic artists' portrait piece. The popularity of social media platforms as well as more traditional forms of media like television are proponents of standards of beauty that often have a negative effect on an individual's self-esteem, particularly teenagers and university students. Through viewing my collection of self-portraits, I wish for the audience to gain an appreciation of the human face and its various methods of expression as well as appreciation for their own image, viewing beauty beyond the media-built standards.