For something that usually has the same basic elements, human faces are fantastically varied. Yet, there are films & novels dedicated to people’s overlapping likenesses, exploring the tensions that would exist should you have a doppelganger living nearby & during the time of your existence. Not being a fan of maths, I never know the figures, but it seems unlikely odds that this would happen. Then again, if there are eight billion of us, how many face doubles are we likely to have?
There are lots of memes & online articles these days celebrating the likenesses of modern people in old paintings. It’s a lot of fun & some of them are very good. I once witnessed this in real life whilst wandering round the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin. A small child was introduced to a painting of another small child & she instantly recognised it as a picture of herself. The painting, Boy in Red (1907) by Arthur Kampf (1864-1950) is a delightful depiction of a bright-eyed, lively child in red clothing & hat & with longish blonde hair, cut much like the girl in the gallery’s. When it was shown to her, the girl squealed & laughed & pointed, as did the adults who were – frankly – playing a trick on her. There was indeed a striking resemblance (she looked exactly the same) & everyone witnessing this lovely, funny event was charmed by it & will no doubt remember it.
But it was not her. In the words of Simon Schama, “A realistic portrait isn’t just a picture. It’s a meeting, an encounter. We look into someone’s eyes. We look behind them. We come to know their owner.” At least I think it was Schama – watching some old art documentary on TV one night, probably after having had a few ales, I noted down this quote in my phone. It does sound like the sort of eternally wise thing Schama would say.
Stuart Davis (1892-1964), Portrait of a Man, 1914
Better known for a very different style of painting & subject matter, Davis’s mint green man is at once striking & weirdly believable. He’s captured something natural in his expression; he’s just looking up & might speak to the artist at any moment, perhaps to ask for a break. He’d not have long to wait. Davis’s brushstrokes are broad & quick yet well-placed – the sign of an accomplished, confident painter who has practised his craft relentlessly.
Patrick Caulfield (1936-2005), Portrait of Juan Gris, 1963
Again, something different for a painter of a particular style. A painting of a painter, the art of Juan Gris was decidedly Cubist & Caulfield was a big fan. In fact, the work of Gris could almost define Cubism in its embracing of a distinctive geometry & composition. One wonders how far Gris’s Crystal Cubist period influenced Caulfield. Crystal Cubism saw a movement towards abstraction with large, flat planes & overlapping shapes. Just as Gris portrayed Picasson, so Caulfield portrayed Gris.
Rex Whistler (1905-1944), The Viscountess Ridley, 1940
Ursula Ridley was the daughter of English architect Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens designed the famous Cenotaph war memorial in London. Whistler was celebrated as a portraitist of the celebrities of London society & he made illustrations for the Radio Times & for Shell. Sadly he was killed in action in WWII whilst attempting to help other soldiers.
Valeria Feliú (b. 1970), Punk glam dream wild
Feliú’s portraits are full of personality & attitude & the defiant gaze of this sitter is almost intimidating in its confidence. Combining believable, lifelike portrayals of people & patterned, decorative surroundings & clothing with occasional splashes of super-loose brushwork, her images are compelling & modern.
Mark Fennell, Bird Man, 2018
Mark Fennell’s portraits are sensitive, painterly & often of celebrities. This wonderful portrait however is of a friend of Fennell’s, Tony & is made using a knife to apply the paint. Tony feeds the birds so he can watch them from his kitchen. The background & colour are reminiscent of a seascape.
Allan Ramsay (1713 -1784), Portrait of an African, between 1757 and 1760
Ramsay’s portrait is thought to be of Charles Ignatius Sancho (c. 1729-1780) who was a composer, writer & abolitionist. He was born on a slave ship & was in time taken to Britain. He ran away from the house he’d been enslaved to for many years & learned to read & started his own business. He is believed to be the first British African to have voted & to have an obituary printed in the UK.
Frederick Sandys (1829-1904), Nepenthe, 1892
Known as a talented landscape painter, wood engraver & illustrator, Sandys’s work was incredibly detailed & well observed. He greatly influenced his sister Emma who was herself a wonderful Pre-Raphaelite painter.
William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), Thomas Combe, 1860
Another Pre-Raphaelite, Hunt’s paintings have a highly-coloured, vivid quality. The Pre-Raphaelites were truth seekers, looking to carefully examine & accentuate the details of the physical world in their works. They rejected Renaissance approaches to art with its “rationalism” & modernity. This portrait is rather more playful that I’m used to seeing in a Hunt work, but it is nevertheless typical in its clarity & credibility.
Jenny Saville (b. 1970), Bleach, 2008
Distinctively Saville in style at least, Bleach is not as uncompromising as many of her other works, which often show squashed nudes, body parts & faces. She is more interested in the truth of the human body & what we tend to live with, rather than airbrushed lies – in this way, she finds the beauty in what is rarely assumed to be beautiful. A true artist & seeker of truth.
Mallory Heyer, Billy Eilish
Mallory Heyer’s portraits & illustrations are often as vibrant & energetic as the subjects. With her background in painting, her works are like an updated Pop Art quest, combining mixed colours, bold designs & images with digital tools. For her part, Billy Eilish is a well-known singer & songwriter who has achieved a great deal in her twenty-one years. It would be superficial to say I like her style, but I do & so I shall.
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