Fetherston.+Kiley+-+Portrait



Cafe in Lima is a photograph of a middle aged, young woman who is staring at a mystery man as we can see by the back figure he portrays. I chose this picture because of the mystery that is incorporated into this portrait. Due to the fact that we cannot see the male's face makes me almost believe that he is attempting to keep himself a secret, or the two would not like others to know they are currently in this cafe together. However, I can infer from the woman’s facial expression and playing of the beads is that she is, possibly, in love with this man. Her eyes are focused on him which builds majority of the story behind this portrait. Overall, the artist, Irving Penn, incorporated both natural and artificial lighting into the picture. Due to it being taken inside a cafe, the photographer must use what is given. Therefore they could use lights from the inside of the cafe itself and the sunlight or moonlight, whichever was available at the moment. Finally, the compositional technique that this artist portrays is rule of thirds. By placing the chair in the farthest right section and the male figure halfway off the page, it adds more character and interest as people look at the portrait.
 * __Portrait 1 - Cafe in Lima by Irving Penn__ **

Works Cited: Penn, Irving. Cafe in Lima. 1948. Art Gallery NSW, Lima.


 * __Portrait 2 - Suzy Parker and Robin Tattersall, Coat by Dior, Place de la Concorde, Paris.__ **

The portrait of Suzy Parker and Robin Tattersall gives the feeling of young love. This picture is older and it shows how the dating world circled during times in the past. When there were no phones around to text or Snapchat our boyfriends and girlfriend, people had to go on real dates. Talk to each other in person. That is why I chose this piece. This overall demonstrates the fun, fast lifestyle dating used to be as this couple seems to be happy and in love as they are smiling towards each other. Not only are they rollerskating in the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, just the fact that they are in each other’s company makes them excited to be there. For the lighting of this piece, Richard Avedon incorporated natural lighting. Due to the fact that this picture has been taken outside while this couple is on a date, the only light available for use was the light brought down from the sun. However, due to the fact that this picture was taken so long ago, in 1956 to be exact, all pictures came out in black and white as there was no colored photography yet. This artist demonstrates good contrast between the lights and darks in the portrait, as well. To finish, the compositional technique utilized was point of view. Placing the couple straight in the center, bigger than anything else in the picture, this is where our eyes are immediately drawn to. Not only are they happy to look at, but the coloring of the old fashioned black and white is simply pleasing to the eye.

Works Cited: Avedon, Richard. Suzy Parker and Robin Tattersall, Coat by Dior, Place de la Concorde. 1956. The Richard Avedon Foundation, Paris.

The other two portraits chosen were both from older times, therefore I have decided to choose a more modern piece. One with color. The portrait of Meryl Streep has so much character and modernism that is told by just her face. However, it is difficult to interpret what the concept Streep was trying to deliver. By her pulling her face in different directions, we can almost think that this relates to her life in a way. With a pale-white face and and look of an “out of order” nature, we can believe that Meryl’s life is spinning is different circles and directions. Something crazy is occurring that only Meryl seems to know but is attempting to share with other people. That is the beauty of this piece of art. We cannot actually know what Meryl is thinking or trying to demonstrate. However, we can take away something from the piece. The light Leibovitz used was more of a studio fill. It seems as if this portrait was taken in a studio, so Annie used studio lights to help lighten up the picture and really pull off the white paint on her face to be bright. And finally, the compositional techniques used were both fill the frame and point of view. The two are working together here. As Meryl’s face is filling the frame, she is becoming the point of view of the artwork. When viewers see the portrait at first, they will immediately see Meryl and wonder what the mystery behind this pose really is.
 * __Portrait 3 - Meryl by Annie Leibovitz__ **

Works Cited - Leibovitz, Annie. Meryl. 2007. Annie Leibovitz: Life through a Lens, n.p.

How do these artists make their portraits become true works of art, not just snapshots?

 * 1) This artwork is not just a snapshot, but a true work of art, because of the story the artist is conveying. In every portrait, there is a background to each person: a story behind their specific pose and their specific expression. The beauty of the artwork, however, it not only the story being told to the viewers. The beauty of the artwork is how the viewer could shape the story. Unless there is a note or a title included with the photograph, the one looking at the picture can guess and make their own story to what they want it to be. This is what makes the portrait a true work of art, not just a simple snapshot.

What lighting and compositional techniques are evident in the photographer's work?

 * 1) Many artists use the compositional technique of fill the frame in their work. This allows the artist to fill majority of the photograph to show the viewers that this person is the main focus. In a portrait, the artist most likely will want to tell a story with this person’s stance, figure, and face. For example, artist, Richard Avedon, took people and zoomed in on their faces to make the entire photograph to be just their face. This added character and a story to the artwork. For lighting, artists would utilize a black and white technique, taking out any existing saturation. Even though many artists are from earlier times when color photographs were inexistent, photographers today still are utilizing this technique of taking out the color to add more history. Also, many photographers keep light in the sky for their background, making that light white as the photo is converted to colorless. However, the main subject remains dark, less exposed to light.

How might their artwork influence your own?

 * 1) With the project coming up and after looking at other artist’s portraits, it gives me ideas on how I will come across making more own piece of art. The black and white, old fashioned feel that many artists have demonstrated gives me ideas for the editing process of my own picture. Taking all of the hue and saturation out of my picture to make it gloomy, if that is where I plan on taking my concept, will add more character and interest. Another influence from this artwork is the way many fill the frame. It highlights the subject of the portrait: the person. This allows the story to really be told, so to better support my concept, fill the frame will be a strong option to use.