The Modern Portrait in Different Techniques

In mid-May, I participated in the very last elective seminar of my art studies. The topic of portraits has long interested me and from time to time I practiced portrait drawing and painting with the help of my JKPP friends.

This time the topic was not just “normal” portrait painting.

Excerpt from the course description:

From everybody’s childhood to Leonardo’s spot on the wall, the alienation of physiognomical perception is the source of interpretation and insight. In this process it can happen that “only the inner image” of the physiognomy of the other comes fully into its own (as can be seen in the works of Beckmann, Ensor, Kokoschka, Modigliani, Schiele, Picasso and others).

In this  portrait seminar we will emphasize the own view and the subjective visual language, because the exploration of the vis-à-vis will also further the exploration of one’s own self.

During this seminar, the goal was not so much to paint a realistic picture of another person and aim at 100% resemblance but the exploration of different techniques that are suitable for modern portraits.

As a result, similarities with living persons are more or less accidental. 😉

Nevertheless, if one wants to depict a certain person in a modern style portrait, then it is of utmost importance that the eye area is correct and leads to a recognition effect.