Portraits in the subjective frame

How can portraits represent personal experiences of the world?

Through the subjective frame, art is understood as a way to explore and represent individual experiences of the world. Artists make works inspired by their emotions, imagination, memories, identity and relationships.

The Artist

  • How have personal experiences, ideas and/or events informed this artwork?

  • How have the imagination, fantasies or dreams informed this artwork?

  • Does the artist see artmaking as a way of exploring their emotions? Can you find a quote to evidence this?

The Artwork

  • How do you relate to this artwork?

  • Does this artwork remind you of your own experiences or feelings? Explain how.

  • How has the artist used a visual language to convey personal experiences, memories or events?

The Audience

  • How have audiences personally connected with and responded to this artwork?

  • What personal associations (to events, feelings, experiences) might audiences make with this work?

The World

  • How does the artwork explore shared human experiences?

  • How is the artwork a response to the world of the artist?

Critical and historical studies

Activity - emotional portraits

Sometimes artists use portraits to convey a person's emotional state, their responses to the world around them, or to inspire emotional or imaginative reactions in their audiences.

Use the subjective frame to interpret these two artworks below, and complete the activities. Record your responses in a document to share with your teacher.

  • Paste a copy of the artwork image and citation into your document.

  • What or who is shown in this portrait?

  • What emotions are they expressing? How can you tell?

  • How has the artist used body language, facial expressions, colour, composition or other techniques to convey this emotion?

  • What can you find out about the person in the portrait? Why might they be feeling this way?

Include an image of the artwork and the citation, and share your completed reviews with your teacher.

Gustave Courbet, 'Le Désespéré', 1845.

Oil on canvas, 89 x 99 cm.

Date accessed 16/08/2021.

Frans Hals, 'Singing Boy with Flute', 1623

Oil on canvas, 55.2 x 68.8 cm.

Date accessed 16/08/2021.

Artmaking

Activity - express yourself!

In this activity you will make 3 portraits that show 3 different emotions by staging a photoshoot, using yourself or a friend or family member as the model.

  • Make a list of 3 different emotions that you could represent in your portraits. Think about how you can represent those emotions visually.

  • For each emotion, make some notes about what facial expression you (or your model) will use in each photograph.

For example, to represent 'surprise', you might have the eyes wide open, and the mouth slightly open. To represent 'thoughtful', you might have the head tilted to the side, a slight frown, and the eyes looking off to the side.

  • Think about how you could use the elements of 'mise en scène' to make your photograph more effective. You might refer to the mise en scène (date accessed 16/08/2021) resource to guide your decisions. Make some notes about each element and how it will help represent emotion in your photograph.

Make deliberate choices about how to apply:

    • setting and props

    • costume, hair, makeup and character

    • lighting and atmosphere

    • point of view and perspective.

  • Give each of your portraits a descriptive title, and share your completed artworks with your teacher.

You might choose to further develop one of your portaits as a digital drawing, using the instructions outlined in the first lesson in this module.

References and images