Don’t paint a figure; Paint a person.
Don’t paint a head; Paint an individual.
Be accurate, but see beyond the surface.
Beware of pictures that are correct but lifeless.
The face is the window to the soul.
All of humanity’s greatness and frailty can be found in a single pair of eyes.
---------
Portraits by Peder Krøyer (1851-1909). Thanks to Tim Adkins for the close-up.
Krøyer on Wikipedia
True, very true. If we don't paint life into the portraits, we may as well be making marble statues.
ReplyDeletei love kroyer and the skagan school, if I ever go to denmark, it will be to see their work and Skagan.
ReplyDeleteI am posting this on my wall! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIs this Gurney wisdom or did someone else say it?
Phiq--Yeah, that's me. I jotted down some notes and they sort of sounded like Lao-Tzu. The idea, put more inelegantly, is to try to see the universal by means of the particular.
ReplyDeleteMy Pen Name: Me too! The Skagen painters were sensational and unfortunately hard to find in the USA.
David--that quality of life is such an elusive thing. We all know when we see it in a portrait, but it's so hard to capture.
I was just finishing a book on Anthony Van Dyck, who was one of the first painters who tried to depict more than just the person he portrayed. He too was looking for the soul underneath the flesh.
ReplyDeleteImho it is finding this soul which is the hardest part of the process of painting a portrait. The good thing about that is that we will always have an excuse to make another one :D
Beautiful portraits, I didn't know Krøyer. The paintings in his wikipedia page look rather post-impressionist, which I don't particularly like, while these portraits have a "northern europe" look which is by far more appealing to me.
ReplyDeleteYour golden rules are precious, however the "way to the soul" sometimes takes strange paths. The ice-cold portraits by Bronzino, for example, are all but lifeless and meaningless:
http://virtualmuseo.com/2010/02/ritratto-di-laura-battiferri/angelo_bronzino_042/
Italian renaissance art in general tends to abstraction (with some notable exceptions as Lorenzo Lotto), but it produced remarkable portraits (sorry if I look patriotic, which I'm not, I'm just trying to match my life-long impressions with your useful advice).
Hey, who said marble statues can't have personality? http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_12.233.jpg
ReplyDeleteIts funny, I had posted something similar to your words, (minus the beautiful pictures you have here). I had a discussion with my wife about what I look for when I draw people- the gist of my response was an of a life beyound the drawing, that somehow the drawing becomes a connection to another human being. I provide the link here http://artinabusyworld.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteif you care to take a look.
My grandfather was a portrait artist out of Manhattan and Philadelphia, and while I never got much technical art training out of him, I did glean snippets of information just like this.
ReplyDeleteWhen he received a portrait commission, he would invite the client to his studio, or visit them in their home or business to take some photographs. Then, he would stay for another hour or more interviewing the client, trying to find out what they like or don't like, how they act and behave, what kind of posture do they have, what sorts of things have they accomplshed (or not accomplished), sketching them all the while. He didn't just want pictures of what they look like; rather he wanted to fully know the person. And only after he felt like he knew his subject, would he commit brush to canvas.
"Beware of pictures that are correct but lifeless."
ReplyDeleteThis is a pet peeve of mine and unfortunately you also do this.
People are not expressionless!!! Their mouth is almost never just a symmetrical horizontal slit. Facial muscles are not all relaxed any of the time!! (Unless you are dead)
I wish they taught painters more about how to capture the dynamic emotion of the face because very very few can do more than just paint a death mask. I know it isn't easy but it is worth it.
The Mona Lisa is unique for this reason. It actually shows some facial muscles being used.
Phew. Glad to get that off my chest!
These portraits contain a real presence that touches my heart.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I discovered your book "Imaginative Realism" I was impressed by this same presence in all your characters.
I've been to the Skagen museum... it was *wonderful*.
ReplyDeletegreat words and portraits
ReplyDeletehttp://scorchfield.blogspot.com/
I replay your post! Thx