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Originally Posted by Debra Rexroat
I had put this finished portrait aside for a while after getting a less than exciting reception when I showed it initially. Jon is a local who fell climbing Rainier a couple years ago with a fellow firefighter. I did this to honor him and intended it to eventually be a memorial to him at the department. However, when I revealed it to his crew at the station the reactions were not confirming that I had met my goal.
I have since gained more experience with both portraits and the medium and would like to know in what aspects of this work I may have missed my mark. I do not have the photo, as it was in the widow's collection, which she graciously lent me to do this. I am not so concerned with the likeness right now as whether the actual work would hold up for this purpose. I welcome any comments, suggestions, and critique of my handling of the subject, including color choices, edges, composition, etc.
Digitial demonstration is ok.
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One thing people want from a posthumous portrait of someone they love is that it give them the impression of being in the
living presence of the subject. Thus an impressionistic style is going to disappoint them because there will be too many reminders that what they're looking at is paint (or pastel, in this case) instead of a living human being. A higher degree of realism is called for in this situation, so the viewers can forget that what they are looking at is anything other than a live person existing in three-dimensional space. A portrait artist must be absolutely on top of every aspect of realistic imagery in order to accomplish this, along with the specialized knowledge of human faces and the ways in which personality traits are indicated and emphasized by the subtle manipulation of the expressive features. This is a tremendous challenge even when one is not handicapped by being limited to poor reference material.
Secondly, a portrait is subject to the same critical considerations as any other painting, and must stand up well on aesthetic/artistic terms as well as the particulars of likeness of the subject. The illusion of three-dimensional depth suffers when the colors in the distance are as vivid as the colors in the foreground, as you have it here, for one thing. Selective focus must also be brought to bear, and that isn't something that can be imported verbatim from a photograph if the objective is to have the portrait read realistically.
And then there are the psychological aspects to concern ourselves with as well, because each person who knew the subject will have his or her own mental image/impression of that person, and it's up to the artist to somehow gain an understanding of those individually varying images and incorporate enough of each of them into the portrait to generate a spark of recognition in the people who were close to the subject. These challenges are why professional portrait painters regard the prospect of posthumous portraits with dread, and why they charge so much for them if they do accept the commissions. In my case, I base my price on how much I don't want to do it.
If one can rise to the challenges presented by this kind of project, and end up with a painting that pleases the client, the subject's family,
and the artist, it can be very satisfying after it's done and has been accepted enthusiastically. It's a significant accomplishment for those who can succeed at it, but there are many serious obstacles to overcome before it can happen. It's a job for a Master.
Virgil Elliott
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