Portraits

• Have any of you ever had your portrait made? (Remind students of ID cards, passports, photographs, etc.)

• What are some of the things you thought about before your portrait was made? (Consider clothing, facial expression, background, etc.)

• What did it feel like to have your portrait made?

• Do you like to show off that portrait, or do you keep it hidden?

To talk about portraits, you need to know how to describe an image, and learn how to analyze paintings (technical or material, artistic, emotional vocabulary)...It can be a daunting task as you may need to know lots of things: who did the painting? Who paid for it? When was the photo taken? What was the historical context in which the artwork was created? Does the painter belong to an artschool? Can you talk about the formal qualities of the artwork?

Let's just start with appreciating them and trying to say what they make us feel: do you think the artists have created a beautiful or significant image?

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vocabulary

  1. Portrait a representation of a person or group of people

  2. Sitter(s) the person (or people) who is (are) shown in a portrait

  3. Facial Expression the way the different parts of the face work together to show emotion

  4. Gestures what the sitter does with his or her hands

  5. Posture the position of the body

  6. Setting the place or environment in which the sitter is shown

  7. Attire the clothing the person in the portrait is wearing

  8. Props the things the sitter is holding or is surrounded by

  9. Commission to order something to be made, like a portrait

  10. Artist someone who creates art